RWBY: Nature's Wrath
by KnightSpark
Summary: What Ruby thought would be a journey to find some clues about what went on during the fall of Beacon quickly mutates into something much darker. From rising tensions to an alien civilization, everything Ruby thought she learned about the world around her will soon change drastically. (Post Volume 3, Canon Divergent)
1. Chapter 1

**KS: (exhales) Alright, I've been wanting to do this for a while, but due to writer's block and an overall lack of motivation, I never got around to doing it. Also, I wasn't sure if posting this would be a good idea, seeing how Volume 4 started and ended... but I digress. I've always wanted to do something like this and I figured now was a good time. Remember, do not hesitate to give me any feedback on this. Now... let's begin.**

* * *

"Jaune."

The blonde looked up to see Ruby staring at him, concern drawn all over her face. And for good reason, too. At least six months has passed since the fall of Beacon and he barely said much since... since he heard of Pyrrha. All that was left of her was the circlet that was hooked to his belt. They were travelling to Mistral to find out anything about the "transfer students" that were the cause of Beacon's fall... and the demise of Pyrrha. The blonde had not said a word regarding his partner, and just the mere mention of her is enough to send him into depression.

"If you want to talk anything, don't be afraid to ask," she said, forcing a smile.

Jaune sighed and walked past her, much to her disappointment.

"I just wanted him to know that what happened wasn't his fault," she muttered solemnly.

Trailing close behind them, Ren and Nora watched as their leader sulked on ahead. They were affected by Pyrrha's death just as Jaune was, but he took it the worst. So many things unsaid, so many things he should have said... now, they would be forever more unheard.

"He can't keep going on like this," Ren stated. "I understand that he has lost a dear friend and valued team member, but if he continues being this way, he'll be ineffective as a leader."

Nora didn't say anything as Ren continued.

"There will always be time to mourn, but that time must eventually pass. If one continues to wallow in sorrow, they will never move forward at all. This behavior is unfitting and unacceptable for a leader and needs to end immediately. If he can't do that, then we'll just have to rely on Ruby from this point onward."

Nora remained silent as she walked alongside her friend. She knew that Ren had a point, but she couldn't really agree with him, for she felt the same way. She loved Pyrrha, like she was the older sister she never had. She would always laugh at her antics or lend a shoulder for her to sleep on. That had to be why she liked Pyrrha. She always had this motherly vibe that makes Nora feel warm on the inside.

"We're here," Jaune said, bringing the groups attention to him.

They had reached a tall gate with a few men standing close to it, as if they were expecting a threat of any kind. One of them noticed the group and aimed his rifle at them.

"You there," he said. "Why have you come?"

"We mean you no harm," Ruby said. "We're travelling hunters who need somewhere to stay for the night."

"Hmm..." The guard whispered to his colleagues, who whispered in response. He turned back to the group. "Alright, we'll let you in, but you gotta hand in your weapons before you enter."

"What?" Jaune spoke up, probably the first time in a long while. "Why do we have to do that?"

"Because we don't trust outsiders, especially ones who claim to be hunters. If you don't comply, you will not be permitted to enter."

Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. She thought that villages were welcoming to any hunters looking to rest up after a long journey. But now, she and her friends have reached a village with guards who do not trust them to enter with their weapons? She couldn't wrap her head around it. What if there were bandits that have infiltrated the village, waiting for the right moment to run it to the ground?

"Perhaps we should do what they say for now," Ren suggested. "Should anything happen, they will be obliged to return our weapons to us."

"I don't know," Nora said. "They seem pretty suspicious of us."

"Even so, we might as well, go along with it, or we'll have to sleep outside." He turned to Jaune. "What do you say?"

The blonde sighed and scratched his head. Clearly, this situation did not sit well with him either, but he was well aware that the team was feeling weary and needed some place to rest.

"Okay, we'll play ball with them for now." He turned to the guard. "Okay, we'll give you weapons, but one condition."

"Name it," the guard said.

"In case of an emergency, such as an attack by bandits or Grimm, you'll hand our weapons to us."

The guard scoffed. "I doubt it will come do that, but I'm nothing if not reasonable. Should anything come up, we'll hand you your gear."

And so, Team RNJR handed the guards their weapons. One of them gave a signal to the guard at the watchtower and opened the gate. They walked into the village, which had a fair number of people living inside of it.

"We'll rest up here, then continue to Mistral," Ruby said. The group agreed and headed for the nearest inn. But unbeknownst to them, a figure watched from the shadows.

"Mistral, huh? Looks like I introduce myself soon."

* * *

 **KS: There we go, first chapter. I'll be posting the second one shortly after, so... you know what, you can just go ahead and read the next chapter after I've posted this one.**


	2. Chapter 2

**KS: Told you I'd post the second chapter.**

* * *

"Ahh... this feels so wonderful," Nora sighed as as flopped onto the bed. "After days of walking and sleeping on the ground, I'm glad we get to sleep in an actual room."

"I can agree with that," Ruby said, laying down in her own bed. "I haven't been on an actual bed since... Beacon."

The moment she mentioned the academy's name, Ruby's face grew sullen. A lot happened since it's downfall, including Weiss being taken by her father, Blake disappearing to who knows where and Yang having her arm cut off. But the worst part was something Ruby could never unsee, no matter how hard she tried. She witnessed Pyrrha's death firsthand. The image was burned into her mind, just like Pyrrha was burned to ashes right before her eyes.

"Yeah, it's been a long time since that went down," Nora said solemly. "We've lost so much, lost so many people... and Pyrrha." She began to tear up, thinking back to when she and her teammates heard about Pyrrha's death from Qrow. It was very horrifying to hear about a teammate that they have grown so close to, especially someone with skills that exceed any normal huntress in training.

Ruby literally dashed to her side and wrapped her in a big hug, patting her on the head as she did so. "I know, Nora. I miss her as much as you do."

Nora cried into Ruby's shoulder, wanting the embrace to last forever.

* * *

Jaune and Ren walked around the village, gathering supplies for their journey. Jaune has not said so much as one word upon arriving to the village and it was deeply concerning the others. Ren was concerned the most about this and feared it would disrupt his abilities as their leader. He felt that he had to bring the issue to light and make Jaune realize that the way he is acting will only drag himself and his team down.

"Jaune, we need to talk."

"About what?" the blond asked, not looking behind him.

Not wanting to bother with small talk, Ren grabbed Jaune by his shoulder and forced him to look him directly in his eye.

"You know damn well what I want to talk about, so don't even think of playing dumb," he said sharply. "You have been sulking about Pyrrha ever since we've started this journey, and it's getting tiresome. You need to move past this and start being the leader we know, or it will be our downfall."

Jaune did not take the accusation well and glared at him. "Ren, I'm fine. I've told you guys a million times and-"

He was interrupted when Ren threw him into a wall, grabbed him by his collar and glared at him harshly.

"Jaune," he growled. "You can lie to yourself as many times as you want..." He lifted him off the wall and threw him onto the ground. "Just don't lie to those around you. Especially if they can see through the lie."

With that, Ren stormed off towards the inn, leaving Jaune alone. He stood up, but glared in the direction Ren was walking.

"What does he know?" he muttered, dusting himself off. "I'm not lying to anyone."

He went in the opposite direction, wanting some time for himself.

* * *

Surpringly, the inn they were staying at had a small cafe inside of it. Ruby and Nora ordered tea, which is what all they had to serve. Luckily, there were different varieties of tea to choose from. Ruby ordered a peppermint tea, and Nora ordered green tea.

"I don't believe they don't serve pancakes here," Nora grumbled.

Ruby chuckled nervously. "I guess they don't have the ingredients neccessary."

As they sipped their tea, they began to talk once more.

"Ruby, I've been wanting to talk about Jaune," Nora said.

The redhead sighed. "So you've noticed it as well?"

"It's kinda obvious, to be honest. He's a lot more quieter than Ren. Ever since Pyrrha... you know."

Ruby knew very well. She did witness Pyrrha die after all.

"But it's being going on forever now," Nora continued. "And don't tell him I said this, but Ren has started to be annoyed about it. He thinks that Jaune will fail as a leader if he doesn't let go of his depression, but I fear that he'll go about it in the wrong way."

Ruby nodded in understanding. She was aware that Ren was growing increasingly aggravated with Jaune's sulking and was worried he would not be able to lead the team as efficiently as he once did. But if things continued the way they are now, it's possible that his depression will get them killed.

Nora forced a smile. "But... Ren's never been the kind to go too far, so I doubt there's anything to worry about."

Ruby chuckled nervously as she drank her tea. "Yeah, I hope so."

As the two girls continued to drink and talk, four intimidating men wearing black jackets walked up to them. One wore a gray beanie cap, another had round goggles around his neck, the third had bandages on his face and the final wore a purple mask resembling a demon's face.

"Excuse me," the masked man said. "But you two wouldn't happen to be huntresses now, would you?"

Ruby and Nora turned to them.

"Yes, we are," Ruby answered. "What do you want?"

The masked man cracked his knuckles. "We want you and your friends to leave immediately. This village has no place for your kind of people."

* * *

 **KS: Who does that, really? Who forces a bunch of travelers who come a long way from where they are now to promptly leave a village they just got to? Who does that? Who, I ask?**


	3. Chapter 3

**KS: (breathes heavily) I had a hard time with this what with school work breathing down my neck, but... I pulled through. Now please enjoy it while I go recover.**

* * *

Ruby and Nora stood in absolute shock. The men that they had demanded that they leave the village immediately. What their reason was for doing so, she wasn't sure. But one part of the sentence got their attention.

"Wait, what did you mean by our kind is not welcome here?" Ruby asked.

The second man let out a scoff. "What, are you an idiot or something? What the boss meant is that we don't take kindly to huntsmen coming here. In other words, we don't trust you no more."

Ruby took offense to the remark and rose out of her seat, giving the man a livid glare.

"What are you talking about?" she snapped. "What reason do you have not to trust us?"

The third chuckled dryly. "Oh, as if you don't know what happened during that massive disaster some people call the Vytal Festival."

Ruby had to grit her teeth to prevent any uneccessary remarks lest she gives the group more ammunition to use against her.

"Let's start with the semi-finals, shall we?" the man asked with a smug grin. "This one girl won against some guy, but for some reason, she decides to blow his leg out. Not very becoming for a huntress, eh boys?"

The men laughed in response, and in doing so, caused Ruby's anger to build up.

"And then, after that fight, there was another tragedy: that girl who got sliced turned out to be an android built by Atlas! Boy, I can almost hear the shocked silence from the crowd... oh wait, I forgot. Nobody could hear the silence because it was silent. Get it?"

They laughed even harder, which did no favors for Ruby's boiling anger.

"And so, the great kingdom of Vale fell to shambles, all of it's so-called protectors either dead or scattered to the wind. All those idiots died for nothing. Makes me wonder why the profession isn't put out to pasture yet."

That was the last straw for Ruby. She had been able to stand those insults, but the last one hit really close to home. She knew better than anyone that many people had perished during the breach and that a close friend of hers was one of them. Hearing the men say that they died for nothing was more than she could handle.

"You know, it's a good thing we aren't huntsmen, huh? We like to do things our way and not be ordered around by-"

The man was cut off when Ruby slammed her cup on the table, spilling most of the tea in the process. Everyone present in the establishment turned to the angry young girl, who was breathing heavily at this point.

"A good friend of mine was killed on that night," she growled. "She died while fighting with everything she had... and all you can do is mock her for it."

She slowly walked towards the man while keeping her angry expression.

"What are you doing that's so important that makes you think you're above her and all those who died in Vale?"

The man stared at her, then turned to each other. Then they turned back to Ruby, who was still fuming.

"Look kid, I don't know where you came from, but you got to understand: being a huntsman is nothing short of a joke. They get it in your head that you can be 'a great hero' or some garbage like that. But here's the thing... huntmen and huntress are nothing more than cannon fodder for those in higher power. They use them to fufill their own and the minute things go south, they let them take the fall and they act like nothing happened. That's why I think being a huntsman is nothing more than a waste of one's time and life."

The other men made sounds of agreement. Ruby just stood their gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. Her face gradually shifted to to the same color of the cloak she wore. She was about to make a heated protest, when all of a sudden...

"If you think that's what being a huntsman is about, then you must not get out very often."

Her would-be rebuttal was cut short by the voice of a young man, sitting at a table near the corner of the shop. He had pale skin, long violet hair and purple eyes. He wore a gray jacket over a purple shirt, black pants and gray boots. He also had three earrings on both of his ears.

"Hey pal," one of the men called out. "You better mind your own business if you know what's good for you."

"Is that right?" the man asked as he moved up from his seat and walked towards the group. "And what if I don't mind my own business?"

The other man cracked his knuckles. "Then you better get used to missing your teeth."

"Heh... you really are a moron, aren't you?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"

The violet-haired man poked at his chest. "If you had even the slightest idea about what huntsmen do for the world, you wouldn't be speaking to them that way. They give their lives in the field all to ensure scum like you have a brighter tomorrow." He turned away and put his hands at the back of his head. "But seeing how much of an ignorant moron you are, your future is about as bright as an Ursa."

The man growled at the younger man, angered by his insults. The anger soon gave way to a cruel grin.

"Looks like we got ourselves a comedian here, boys," he said. "How about we show him how we feel about comedy around here?"

The others agreed with him, prepping to fight the man.

"Any last words, punk?"

"Yeah... how can you fight someone you can't catch?"

"What?"

Without any warning, the man quickly disappeared, much to the shock of everyone present, including the small group.

"W-Where did he go?"

"What are you asking me for?"

He soon reappeared behind one of them and delivered a swift kick to his head, knocking him through the window. The remaining men instantly noticed and rushed towards him. They threw every punch at him, but he dodged them all.

"Wow, you're all slow like an Ursa too," he taunted. "I wonder if your brains work at the same speed."

"Why you...!"

They ganged up on him, but he knocked them all away with a spinning kick. He stood on his feet and stretched out.

"I don't think you guys are much of a challenge," he sighed. "This was a waste of my time."

"The only thing that's gonna be wasted is you, ya little bastard."

"Hmm?"

Before the young man could react, a strong force knocked him clear out of the tea shop. Villagers passing by quickly took note of the astounding sight.

"Agh..." he groaned, picking himself up from the rubble. "That really hurt."

"Well, it's gonna hurt a lot more."

He looked to see the leader of the gang, who held a large hammer with a motor attached to it.

"Come on, that's not even fair, man. I had my weapon confiscated."

The man scoffed. "That's not my problem. Now, time you got hammered."

"That was the worst one-liner I've ever heard. Can't you use something more original?"

The man growled and powered up his hammer as he charged towards the younger man, who still looked bored.

"Whatever. This was over before it started."

As the hammer-wielder charged toward him, ready to strike him down, the younger man clenched his fist and drew it back. And when his would-be attacker came within striking distance...

"Checkmate."

He punched him right in his face, knocking him back into the tea shop, widening the hole that was formed when he knocked through. As he saw the whole, he sighed while scratching his head.

"Man... it's a good thing I've got the paper to pay for the damage or I'd be screwed."

He heard heavy breathing coming from the right of him. He turned to see Ruby, who was staring at him with widened eyes and a mouth to match.

"You know, you've catch flies if you keep your mouth like that too long," he deadpanned.

Ruby, who was still in her awestruck state, registered his words for a few seconds, then quickly shook her head, bringing her back.

"Wow... you were so cool!"

The man was taken aback. "Say again?"

"You took those guys on without a weapon like it was no big deal and then the guy with hammer knocked you clear out of the shop and then..."

She was talking too fast for him to understand. So, he did the one thing he could think of.

He covered her mouth so that what ever she was saying came out in muffled speech.

"Why don't we start by introducing ourselves?" he asked. "And please, keep it at normal speeds."

He slowly removed his hand, hoping that she would speak at a normal pace. Much to his relief, she did.

"I'm Ruby Rose. And you are...?"

"Lilac," he replied. "Christian Lilac. Call me by my last name."

Ruby tilted her head. "Why do you want to be called by your last name?"

"Because I've been called by my last time for as long as I can remember. I'm used to it, so just call me that, alright?"

Ruby didn't completely understand, but she decided to go along with it.

"Okay. Nice to meet you... Lilac."

"Yeah, the feeling's mutual," he replied. "So what brings you to this village?"

"We're staying here to rest for a bit," Ruby explained. "Once we've gotten some supplies, we'll be on our way to Mistral."

Lilac's eyes widened. "Mistral? What a coincidence. I happen to be from Mistral."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If you want, I can show you around."

Ruby grinned. "That's great! Let me get my friends and I'll introduce you to them."

She dashed off, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. Lilac watched in intrigue.

"Ruby Rose, huh? Looks like I found who I was looking for."

Lilac began to walk alongside the trail of petals with a smirk.

"If all goes well, she can help me out on something big."

* * *

 **KS: (drinks water) That's better. Oh, right. That was my OC, Christian Lilac. I originally made him (sort of) on my DA account, so I will find some time to make a profile out of him. Although, you gotta wonder what kind of plans he has in store and how he intends to involve Ruby in them... all in due time, I guess.**


	4. Chapter 4

**KS: (exhales) My current college term is almost over, so I'm going to try and write some more. Keep in mind that I am spiritually drained and just writing these taxing as hell. (sighs) But enough about my problems. I'll let you read now.**

* * *

Team RNJR, accompanied by Lilac, left the village and continued onwards. Upon seeing the new arrival, Nora bombarded the young man with all sorts of questions. Whether he didn't have the answers to them or didn't want to answer them was up to debate. Ruby laughed at this for a while, but stopped when she noticed Jaune and Ren walking at a fair distance between them.

"Did something happen between them?" she asked Nora.

"It's complicated," Nora replied solemnly. "The gist of it is that Ren thinks he's letting what happened with... Pyrrha affect his abilities to lead. Although, given how we've been doing lately, I don't think I can blame him..."

Jaune grit his teeth and clenched his fists at the mention of Pyrrha.

"Um," Lilac spoke out, bring attention to himself. "I know this isn't my place to ask, but who was this... Pyrrha?"

Naturally, the group had varied reactions to his question, which may come off as somewhat insensitive. Nora looked uneasy about approaching the topic, Jaune tried to appear indifferent and Ren showed some annoyance at said indifference. Therefore, Ruby took it upon herself to answer.

"Pyrrha... was a friend of ours. A good friend."

Noting the somber look on her face, Lilac decided to take a more subtle approach.

"Tell me everything you know about her. I assure you, I won't press too hard."

Ruby was taken aback from his consideration, but managed to give out a smile regardless.

"Okay, I'll tell you all about her..."

* * *

Weiss let out a heavy sigh as she laid her bed. Well, to be technical, it wasn't exactly her bed. It was just a regular bed. She rented a room at an inn in a local village. It was well guarded with plenty of available personnel, so the threats of any Grimm or bandits were pretty tame.

It wasn't luxorious, but it sure beat being a prisoner in her own home.

"How long has it been since we've been split apart?" she mused as she laid on the bed.

That was a question that continued the plague the heiress upon escaping from Atlas. How long has Team RWBY been seperated? She estimated that it was somewhere around five to eight months, but honestly, she was too focused on her summoning to really keep track.

But the main point was that she missed them deeply. She missed Ruby's hyperactive outlook, Blake's silent demenor and Yang's firey passion. It pained her to admit, but her life just seemed empty without them.

"I really miss them," she said silently, turning over.

She closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Even though the bed was far from high class, Weiss slept well. She was well rested and ready to take on anything that would come her way. Speaking of which, she immediately remembered what Winter was talking about before she left. She mentioned to her that she encountered a Beowolf, but none like any other she had seen before. It had white fur and blue markings, but there was one detail that truly made it stand out. One that made Weiss both intrigued and disturbed at the same time.

"What is a young girl doing chained up to that Beowolf?" she wondered. "If it is someone's idea of a sick joke, I don't find it funny in the slightest."

She packed her belongings and stood at the clerk's desk to return her key. Much to her dismay, no one was attending the desk, evident by the sign being there.

"Well, that's just wonderful," she sighed. "Oh well, it's not like I'm in a hurry or anything."

She waited at the desk for someone to show up. Even if she was in no rush to leave, she wished that someone would come by soon.

"Hey, did you hear about that weird Beowolf last night?"

Weiss ears perked up at the mention of the Beowolf from one of the bellhops.

"Hear about it? One of the huntsmen from Mistral came in with scars and burns all over his body," the other said. "And get this, the guy said that it shot some kind of laser."

"A Beowolf shooting lasers? What's next, Nevermores breathing fire?"

"Hey man, I don't believe this as much as you, but it's something to think about. If Grimm are starting to evolve, it wouldn't hurt to take some neccessary measures, you know?"

"Yeah, can't argue with that point. Although, I don't think I'm going to get much sleep with this Beowolf nonesense running though my head all day."

As the bellhops concluded their conversation, the mention of the Beowolf made alarm bells ring in Weiss' mind.

"First it was spotted in Atlas, and now it's around this area? Just kind of Beowolf is it?" She sighed and shook her head. "I better keep on going if I am to catch up... and now I just realize that I'm behind on my summoning. Why must I be so careless?"

Weiss made a mental note to do more training before she left the village.

"Excuse me, miss."

She turned around to see the clerk now standing at the desk. She had a slim figure with long brown hair and gentle yellow eyes. She wore a lime green kimono with floral patterns.

"Have you stayed here long enough?"

"Yes," Weiss answered, handing her the key. "I must say, your beds are quite comfortable."

The clerk smiled from her compliment. "Aw, thank you. We use cotton imported from Mistral for the sheets, accompanied by hand-woven pillow covers. I tell you, if there's one thing Mistral takes pride in, it's definitely weaving."

"Right..." Weiss a little unnerved at how one can be so interested in weaving. "Anyway, I'm prepared to leave now."

"Oh yes, just hand me the key and you can be on your way."

Weiss handed the key to the clerk, but she did, her arm was suddenly grabbed.

"W-What's going on? You said, that I could be on my way if I handed the key."

The clerk smiled. "Oh, forgive me, I wasn't being specific. What I meant was you can be on your way... to a body bag."

Weiss was about to ask what the clerk meant, but then she saw a tattoo on her neck. A tattoo of a disturbingly familiar emblem.

"You're kidding," she said in a low whisper. "You're with the White Fang?"

The "clerk" let out a dark chuckle. "Yeah, I'm with them. In fact, they've been tailing you ever since you left home. And they happened to send me to this village to intercept you."

Weiss' face grew pale as she attempted to escape the assassin's grip. "Did you kill the original clerk of this inn?"

The assassin scoffed. "Please, do you really think it's easy to just kill someone and take their place? I took the job with no one being the wiser. Hell, they don't even know I'm a faunus."

Weiss managed to escape the grip and pointed Myrtenaster towards her. "I don't know who sent you after me, but I won't let my life be claimed by some lowly assassin."

Said assassin glared at her and removed her kimono, revealing a black tank top and matching pants and boots. As well as large wings that unfolded upon taking off the kimono.

"A bird? I never seen anything like you before," Weiss said in astonishment.

The assassin growled. "It's going to be the last thing you see once I'm through with you."

She flew a few meters off the ground, then charged towards Weiss, who guarded herself with her sword. The assassin knocked her back, causing her to hit the wall. Weiss changed the barrel and used a glyph that shot fire towards the assassin, but she dodged it with little effort.

"Ha! It's going to take more than fire works to finish me off," she sneered, flapping her wings quickly. She shot her feathers towards Weiss, which she quickly dodged.

"How did you get your feathers to do that?" Weiss asked in shock.

"I'm a bird, we're capable of doing that," the assassin said. "We're also capable of picking up our prey to great heights and dropping them. I had thought about doing the same to you, but think it would be much satisfying to tear you to bits instead."

Weiss scowled at the threat and used a glyph to launch herself towards the assassin, who was caught off guard and knocked through the wall. The commotion was enough to get a few people's attention, but neither seemed to care.

"May I ask you a question?" Weiss said, her weapon still pointed at the assassin.

She looked at the heiress with her head tilted and scoffed. "Sure, but I doubt whatever answer I give will matter once I'm through with you."

Weiss proceeded with her question. "Why did you wait so long to try to kill me? You had plenty of chances when I was out in the wildnerness."

"Oh, that?" The assassin laughed. "Well, I just thought it would be fun to spill the blood of some Schnee spawn in a nice establishment. I have a tendancy of doing that."

"You mean you revel in murderning people of high status in well-receptive places?" Weiss glared in disgust. "You're disgusting."

"Oh, don't act like you've got the moral high ground, princess," the assassin growled. "Last I checked, you're family's business ruined the lives of my people. Keeping them enslaved, making them suffer in poor conditions... I swear, the liberation of faunus will start with your spilled blood."

She charged towards Weiss once more, but she was prepared as she summoned a temporal glyph that slowed her movements to a crawl.

"Did you honestly believe I would be caught off guard by such a brutish approach once more?" she asked distainfully. "For an assassin, you have a bad habit of underestimating people."

The assassin attempted to free herself from the glyph, but it's affects lowered her mobility drastically.

"Huh. I think I wasted that glyph," Weiss mused. "No matter. It's about time I ended this."

She immediately disolved the current glyph and replaced it with two smaller ones that shot ice at the assassin's wings, freezing them solid.

"What?!" she screamed as she fell to the ground. It didn't take long for her to noticed her frozen wings. "How dare you!"

Weiss smirked. "It's appears that no longer have the ability to fly."

"Maybe not... but that doesn't mean I can't kill you!"

She took out two knives and charged towards Weiss with full intent to finish her. Weiss prepared to do the same.

Until the sound of a gunshot rang out, followed by the sound of ice shattering.

"AGHHHHHHHH!"

And the assassin's anguished screams followed as well. Everyone present was shocked, but Weiss was damn near horrified at the sight of one of her wings suddenly exploding.

"That's the last time you terrorize a village, Marron."

A deep voice made itself heard. Before Weiss could make heads or tails out of what just happened, she saw a rather intimidating man walk up to the assassin. He wore a gray chest plate with a black longcoat and matching pants along with a cowboy hat and a scarf that covered his face.

"I've been tracking you for a while," he said, kneeling down to her. "Who would've thought that you went into hiding in this village?"

The assassin glared at figure. "I wasn't hiding, I was- GAH!"

The man grabbed the remains of her wing, causing her great discomfort.

"I don't care what you were doing here, your killing days are over." He turned Weiss, who flinced from his gaze. "Who might you be, girl?"

She was put off for a moment, but quickly regained her composure. "I-I'm Weiss Schnee."

"Schnee, huh?" He looked at Weiss and then turned to the assassin. "I'm guessing you were her target, then?"

"It would appear so."

The man knocked out tied up the assassin and lifted her over her shoulder. "Well, this one's killing days are over. Once I get her to Mistral, no one will have to suffer."

Upon hearing the kingdom's name, Weiss was reminded something important. She heard from one of the bellhops that a huntsman from Mistral encounted the strange Beowolf. She wondered if she could get some clues about the creature.

"Excuse me, but you said you were going to Mistral, correct?"

The man started to walk off, but stopped. "Yes, I am."

Before Weiss could asked, he asked a question of his own.

"Did you think I'll let you tag along?"

Weiss was slightly caught off guard, but continued regardles. "If it's not an inconvience to you."

"Hmm... give me one reason why I should let you follow me?"

"I'm investigating something. A Beowolf with white fur."

"White fur... did this Beowolf had a girl chained to it?"

Weiss nodded.

"Heh... well, ain't that something."

The man began to walk and the crowed parted to get out of his way. Weiss appeared to be disappointed that she was unable to follow, seeing how he gave no answer. But to her surprise, the man stopped.

"What are you standing around for?" he asked.

Weiss was confused. "I... I beg your pardon?"

The man turned around. "Come on. If we head out now, we can get to the kingdom before noon."

She snapped out of her stupor and quickly followed the man. With his help, she could be one step further to learning more about the Beowolf.

* * *

 **KS: Now, for those wondering what the white Beowolf is all about, I suggest you head to my DA account, phantomblade88, to get a better idea. Keep in mind that I'm still working on the individual stories for each character over there, which happen to resemble interaction in the arcade mode of a fighting game, no less. I am going to work harder to improve on my writing now that my college stuff is all done, so feel free to comment. Good day, everyone.**


	5. Chapter 5

**KS: Okay, this chapter will focus on everyone's favorite vagabond. Also, her V5 short is coming soon, so excitement all around. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love... starting with her._

 _GET AWAY FROM HER!_

*SLASH*

* * *

That haunting sound alone was enough to make Blake rise up, breathing heavily with sweat dripping down every pore of her body. She had re-occuring nightmares like that for over a month. Eight months, to be exact. And with each day passed, they've only gotten worse.

She was currently on her way to a White Fang outpost laying somewhere around Mistral's board. It was clear to anyone that after happened at Vale, they were feeling confident enough to wreak havoc to another kingdom in pursuit of their vision of equality... which of course involved ridding the surface of Remnant of every human.

"And to think, I left home just because I believed that we were doing something good for our people," she lamented as she walked. "I'm was such an idiot back then."

But as soon as she said that, Blake was reminded of something horrible. A more or less similar situation that happened during the fall of Beacon. All of the guilt she thought she had buried had re-emerged as she recalled the fateful moment where she witnessed her friend and teammate had her arm lopped off by her former mentor.

"What am I saying? This is no different from last time," she sighed. "I'm still an idiot."

* * *

Now, Blake was fully prepared to infiltrate the outpost and destroy it from the inside. What she wasn't prepared for was the sight of said outpost already destroyed when she reached it. Judging by the amount of destruction and carnage that was left behind, Blake theorized that whoever attack the outpost either had a massive grudge against the Fang, or some group of people who don't want to breath the same air as a faunus.

"Who could have done this?" she asked, walking around the ruins of the outpost. "This was no ordinary attack. Whoever was responsible must've had lots of equipment on hand."

She continue searching through the rubble, when she heard a pained groan. Without thinking, she rushed over to the source. And her blood ran cold once she found him. A man with red scale on his neck and forearms laid against a rock, covered in all sorts of wounds. He was still alive, but barely hanging on.

"What happened?" Blake asked.

The man coughed up blood before talking. "They literally came out of nowhere... guys in white armor and guns... we didn't stand a chance."

Blake's eyes widened at the mention of white armor. "Are they from Atlas?"

The man coughed once more. "I wish. The gear they were packing, it was decades ahead of Atlas has right now. Also, now that I remember, there was some orange highlights to the armor as well." His face began to pale some more. "My dust... those weapons were unbelievable. By the time they arrived, half our men were down."

"Who are they?" Blake asked. "And where did they go?"

He looked to her in horror. "Where did they go? _Where did they go?_ "

Blake was confused by his sudden hysterics, but he cut her off before she could ask him.

"They're still here! They're sweeping the area for more survivors! You gotta get out of-"

He cut off by a gunshot to the heart, which Blake narrowly avoided. She turned to see who fired, and was horrified to see the soldiers that the now deceased operative mentioned.

"What the... I thought we cleared them all," the first soldier said.

"This doesn't surprise me," the second replied. "These White Fang scum are like cockroaches. They get harder to kill each time."

The first aimed his rifle at Blake. "Whatever. Let's just bag this one and return to base."

Blake didn't even need to think twice about dodging. She got out of there before the soldier could even pull the trigger.

"Hey, get back here!"

Unfortunately, the soldiers began to chase after her, firing their weapons as they did. Luckily, Blake was too quick for them to get a proper shot, but there have been some close calls. One bullet whizzed past her ear, while another barely grazed her leg.

"We need back up!" the soldier yelled to his wristcom. "We have another Fang on the run and we're in pursuit! I repeat, we need back up!"

Those two words alone were enough to make Blake sweat. If those two were hanging around the ruined outpost, then there were surely more lingering around.

"I have to get out of here," she panted. "I can't let them kill me. Not when I have so much to do."

She ran through a bush and hid there, waiting for her pursuers to pass by. To her luck, she heard the footsteps go further and further away from her. She sighed in relief and prepared to get away from the occupied site. At least, she tried to.

"Not another step, freak."

She had a wall composing of armed soldiers with rifles pointed at her blocking her way.

"Damn it," she muttered.

* * *

Upon being captured, Blake was brought back to the ruined outpost, but this time, she wasn't alone. The soldiers who captured her continued searching through the rubble for any survivors while the rest kept watch over Blake, who was cuffed to a pillar with two soldiers standing beside her.

"How did you manage to let one of them get by?" the commander asked. "I was sure that we killed all White Fang members upon arriving here."

"She probably came back to report her findings to whoever was in charge," a soldier suggested. "Other than that, I'm not sure what her reason was for coming here."

"I had a reason!" Blake shouted as she struggled to break free. "I came her to destroy this outpost!"

"Shut it, freak!" the soldier yelled, pointing his rifle at her. "No one asked you to talk!"

The commander waved his hand, signalling the soldier to lower his weapon. He then walked to Blake, who continued to glare at him.

"So, you say that you were arriving at this outpost to destroy it, huh?" the commander scoffed. "That's a likely story."

"It's true!" Blake growled. "I don't like the White Fang as much anyone! I wouldn't even dream of associating with them!"

That was obviously a lie, but Blake knew that if she let slip the fact that she was a former member, the soldiers would skip the questioning and proceed with the execution.

"Sure. You just happened to come to this outpost to destroy from the inside. Very likely." He turned to the soldiers guarding her. "Uncuff her and take her to the ship. Once we get back to base, we can use more effective methods to get information out of her."

"And what do we do once we get the info?" a soldier asked.

The commander scoffed. "Like you need to ask. There's plenty of faunus crawling around the world. No one's gonna care if one just happens to bite the dust."

Blake couldn't believe what she heard. It was clear as day that these soldiers didn't care about well being of faunus, but to go so far as to kill one when they stop being use to someone... she was disgusted. But on the other hand, she wasn't really surprised. This was the fate those who had an extra set of ears.

Once the soldiers beside her took her handcuffs off, she immediately attacked them, knocking them both out by smashing their heads together. Upon seeing the aggression, the commander brought out his weapon and fired at Blake, only to shoot air. She had disappeared on them.

"What the... where did she go?" the commander asked while looking around.

Blake soon reappeared behind a soldier and used the blunt end of her sword to knock him out. She fired rounds at the other three soldiers before they could shoot at her and used her swords to fend off a charging attacker armed with dual axes.

"Why don't you just spare us the extra work and kill yourself?" he growled.

"Never," she growled back. "I'm not giving up."

She parried his attacks and kicked him in his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. He attempted to get back up, but she kicked him in the head, knocking him out. She turned to the commander, who still had his rifle trained on him, ignorning the remaining soldiers aiming at her.

"You have to believe me," she said, sheathing her weapons. "I'm not with the White Fang. And after what they did, I would never dream of joining them."

The commander narrowed his eyes through his visor. "What exactly did they do to earn your contempt?"

Blake's features softened as she looked down. "You heard what happened, didn't you? The attack on Vale."

The commander nodded. "I doubt anyone hasn't heard about it by now."

Blake closed her eyes. "A teammate of mine was fatally injured by a member of the White Fang that night. And I've hated them since." She looked up at him with a glare. "I would sooner die than ally myself with the likes of the White Fang."

The commander stared at Blake's expression. He looked at every inch of it, searching for a sign that indicated she was lying. Thankfully for Blake, he wasn't able to find one.

"Men, stand down."

The soldiers lowered their guns and placed them on their backs.

"Okay, kid. I believe you. If you're really not affiliated with the Fang, then I see no reason to keep you here."

Blake sighed. "Thank you."

She went off without saying another word. And the pit of guilt she thought was boundless enough continued to grow even larger than she could comprehend.

"I abandon my teammates and lie about who I am... again." Blake didn't even notice the tears running down her face. "How much lower must I sink?"

* * *

 **KS: I swear, the amount of emotional baggage Blake has to carry can fill a cargo ship. When will she unload it once V5 rolls around in October. Only time will tell. And now, seeing how this is out of the way, I finally get the pleasure of working on Yang. And believe me, I have plenty of ideas for her... did I just sound sinister just now?**


	6. Chapter 6

**KS: Alright, time to check on our favorite blonde firecracker. Let's hope she doesn't blow any gaskets... (chuckles) ah, just read away, you fine people.**

* * *

In an abandoned underground chamber, the sounds of a blunt, metal object hitting against a limb reverberated throughout the vacant space. The sounds were accompanied by soft, feminine grunts of pain that sounded along with every hit. The source of the noise was the result of at least five thugs beating up a person with a bag over her head. The leader of the gang repeatedly hit them with a crowbar.

"I still can't believe that you were dumb enough to come here with everyone knowing what you've done," he sneered as he hit the person with his crowbar. "Everyone things you're some kind of criminal, and frankly, we can't blame them. We don't need your kind skulking around near the kingdom."

The figure offered made no sound. The thug leader sighed and hit her again.

"The silent treatment, huh? You're not getting off that easy."

More hits were heard, followed by jeers from the other thugs.

"Hey, here's an idea: how about we get some scissors and cut off every strand of that hair you're so damn proud of? That ought to teach ya."

No words came from the captive, which made the leader grin.

"No objections? Perfect." He turned to his henchmen. "You three come with me to get some scissors. The rest of you keep a close eye on her in case she struggles some more."

The leader left the chamber with the henchman trailing close behind him, while the remaining two watched over the prisoner. They started to circle around her, wondering what to do with her.

"So, is this really her?" the first thug asked. "This is the crazy chick from the tournament?"

"Yeah, it's her," the second answered. "Still can't believe she had the stones to come here after what happened. She's either really brave or really stupid."

"Doesn't matter what she is now. By the time we're done with her, she'll not only be ridiculed, but she'll be a freak with no hair! Maybe she'll be an even bigger freak than the faunus."

The first scoffed. "Don't be stupid, man. There will never be anything freakier than someone with animal parts."

"True enough," the second laughed. "At least we can mess around with this one bit longer... wait, hold on."

The thug inspected the captive's bindings closely and noticed that they were worn out. Melted, to be precise.

"I don't believe it."

The first walked to where his friend stood. "What's up?"

"Take a look at the bindings we put her in. Do they look weird to you?"

The thug closely inspected the binding closely as well. The next thing he saw was a fist quickly making impact with his face. The other was stupified as his went flying into the wall.

"What the hell? How did you-"

He was cut off when the captive punched him in the face as well, sending him into the wall like his friend.

"Why is it that whenever I come around here, I'm always getting kidnapped and beaten up?"

With a frustrated groan, the captive takes the bag off of her head, revealing golden hair tied in a ponytail.

"I swear, when I get my hands on that bastard, I'll break more than just his fake legs."

* * *

 _Five days earlier..._

Yang was relentless on her father. The apathy she had after the events at Beacon had given way to dormant anger and fury. She charged towards her father, unleashing a string of right hooks, leg sweeps and even some unfair tactics like throwing dirt at his eyes or roughly slamming her hands on the sides of his head, dazing him. She prepared to slug him with her new arm, when all of a sudden...

"Stop!" Taiyang ordered, putting his hand out. "That's enough, Yang."

The younger blond snorted in disapproval. "Enough? We've barely gotten started. Don't tell me you're ready to pack it in. Unless your age is catching up with you."

Taiyang decided to ignore her rude comment and equally disrespectful tone to focus on the main issue. For now, at least.

"Look, as much as I'm happy to see you get back in the groove, you're being too rough. All these low blows and cheap tricks is not what being a huntress is about."

Yang spat on the ground. "Well, after what happened during the tournament, I doubt anyone is going to think of me as a huntress anymore." She looked at her new arm with distain. "And now, I've got this thing as a constant reminder of how I'll never truly be one."

Taiyang sighed at her negativity. "There's no sense in thinking that way. Also, Ethan made that arm specifically for you, so the least you could do is show some gratitude."

"I'll express what gratitude I have when I see him again," she growled, getting into a fighting stance. "Now let's continue."

One look at Yang's eyes and Taiyang could see her mother in them. And that worried him to no end. He knew that Raven was... unfriendly at first glance, but her true personality is what scared him. There was no way that he would let Yang fall down that same road.

"No, we're done for the day," he said firmly.

"So, I guess you are tired," Yang scoffed. "Fine with me. I can manage on my own."

She stormed off, leaving Taiyang alone. Well, he wasn't exactly alone. Zwei was near him.

"I wonder if I'm making the right decision here," he mused.

Zwei let out a small bark as a sign of encouragement. Taiyang smiled.

"You're right, boy. I can still convince her. I just know she can rise above what she's been through."

* * *

Yang hit the punching bag with a string of brutal attakcs, rage guiding her every move. Her anger had been dormant, built from being disgraced in the tournment, losing her arm to a psychopath... and worst of it was her partner leaving her with no explanation.

"I swear, somewhere out there is some higher being whose main purpose is to piss me off," she growled, assaulting the bag even more. "Well, whoever they are, they succeeded. I'm mad beyond belief, and I'm low on options as to how to deal with it!"

Yang gave the bag one last punch, leaving a hole inside of it. Taking her hand out of the hole, she fell onto her back, panting heavily with sweat dripping from all of her pores.

"Damn it... I'm not good enough," she growled, getting back up. "I need to get better."

She continued her assault on the bag, repeating the same motions as before, but she appeared to be slowing down. Her spirit may have been running at full blast, but her body was running on fumes. And she was damn near exhausted.

"I... need... to... beat... him..."

The last punch was all it took for Yang to finally be depleted. She collapsed to the ground, landing flat on her back. Her breathing became shallow and her vision blurred. She only blinked a few times before seeing a familiar, yet sinister figure hovering above her.

Who happened to have his sword raised, preparing to strike her.

"This is going to hurt her more than it will hurt you."

Those were the last words she heard before her consciousness left her.

* * *

Yang laid in bed in her bed, sweat still dripping from her face. She began to stir for a bit, then rose up, breathing heavily.

"Not again," she groaned. "Why does this keep happening?"

She prepared to get out of bed...

"Unless you want your wrists slapped, I suggest that you refrain from taking another step out of your bed."

...but a certain sharp tone stopped her in her tracks. Yang looked up to see none other than Glynda standing in front of her, her one hand holding her riding crop while the other rest on her hip.

"Glynda? What are you doing here?" Yang asked.

She narrowed her eyes towards the brawler. "Your father invited me to keep an eye on you. And last I checked, I was formally known as Professor."

Yang shot the mage a dirty look. "That's funny, becuase last I checked, Beacon is the new hotspot for Grimm. Unless you've decided to teach them somehow."

Glynda scowled. "I do not appreciate your tone or that comment you just made."

Yang scoffed and got up from her bed. "Yeah, if I manage to give a damn in the next decade, I'll let you know. But for now, I got to get something to eat."

She prepared walk out, but Glynda stopped her by poking her chest with her crop.

"Perhaps I was not clear earlier. You not to leave this room until you have made a full recovery."

"But I have recovered!" Yang snapped. "I'm standing up, aren't I?"

"Yes, but for how long?" Glynda shot back. "I saw your conconscious body laying on the ground behind the house. I doubt your father would be pleased to know that you've been fainting due to overexertion."

"Well, I need to keep training," Yang growled. "I need to make up for lost time from laying around doing nothing."

"Oh, really?" Glynda crossed her arms. "If I remember correctly, I believe that Ms. Belladonna was in a similar state not to long ago."

Yang grit her teeth at the mention of her former partner, disregarding the fact that she could have known she was investigating the White Fang.

"I don't see how it concerns you," she said through grit teeth.

"It's my concern when one of my students begins to neglect her well-being just to learn more information," Glynda said matter-of-factly. "But you managed to convince her to slow down for the sake of her team."

Yang began to breath loudly, barely containing her anger. Her eyes were still in their normal color, but all of that could change in an instant.

"And yet," Glynda continued. "Here you are, pointlessly training for what I percieve to be an attempt at petty vengeance-"

"Who said anything about vengeance?" Yang said defensively.

"You didn't say it out loud," Glynda explained. "It was displayed through your actions. I witnessed your spar with your father, not that anyone would be sane enough to refer to what you did as sparring. Once you left him, he would occasionally tell me about your behavior after each spar. He told me that you were unwilling and sullen at first, but when the months passed, your apathy soon gave way to anger."

Yang narrowed her eyes. "What's your point?"

"I'm getting there," Glynda said. "And each time you finish your 'spar', you take whatever leftover frustrations you have out on the punching bag. Taiyang had to replace each one you destroyed."

"Huh. That explains why it looks so new every time," Yang mused.

"And after your assault on the bag, you do a bit of cleaning around the house," Glynda continued. "However, you often mutter to yourself that you'll 'give him what's coming to him' or some other nonsense like that."

"Since when was what I mutter any of your business?" Yang snapped. "Now get out of my way."

Glynda scowled, finding her defiance to be tiresome. "Ms. Xiao Long, if you do not comply with my order, I'll have not choice but to use force."

Yang was about to retort, but a buzzing sound coming from her scroll interrupted whatever she was going to fire back at Glynda. She picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?"

" _Yang? Good, looks like I got the right number._ "

She widened her eyes as she recognized the caller's voice. "Ethan? What's going on?"

" _I did some digging on that guy you fought in the semifinals,_ " the voice said. " _Whoever he is, his story is a total fraud._ "

Yang was confused. "What do you mean?"

" _I mean that he's not from Mistral. In fact, none of his teammates are even enrolled in any academy, let alone Haven._ "

Yang couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you sure?"

Ethan let out a heavy sigh on the other line. " _There's more information, but I don't think you're going to like it._ "

Yang's heart stopped for a moment. "What do you mean?"

" _I... I'm not sure if I should tell you,_ " Ethan said, his voice heavy with hesitation.

"Tell me," Yang said through grit teeth.

A sigh was heard on the other line. " _Okay..._ "

As Yang listened to every word on the other line, Glynda watched as she did. She was pleased to see that Yang had calmed down when she picked up her scroll to answer whoever was calling her.

"Perhaps I was being worried for no reason," she said. "Maybe she just need to burn off some leftover anxiety." She let a small grin out. "I knew she had some sense left-"

"Could you repeat that?"

The sudden, cold tone from Yang made Glynda drop her grin as quick as she gained it. She saw that Yang had her head dipped low to the point where her eyes were not visible to her.

"So, is that true?" she said in a low tone of voice. "Okay. Thanks for telling me."

She hung up and tightly gripped her scroll. "Professor... I really think you should let me go."

If Glynda's level of concern for Yang had a meter, it would have broken by now. Whatever was said to her must have set her off somehow. She needed to keep her from getting into more trouble.

"You can't leave in your current state, Yang," she said firmly. "You need to calm down."

"...Calm down?"

She raised her metallic hand, which slowly began to produce smoke, then slowly lifted her head. Glynda looked in shock as the blonde's gentle violet pupils were now replaced by enraged red ones.

"I don't think I was asking, Professor," Yang growled.

The mage gripped her crop, hoping that Yang wasn't going to do what she thought she was going to do.

* * *

Yang stood in front of the shack. She now knew what she had to do, and she would damned if anyone tried to stop her.

"So, you're leaving?"

She heard the voice of her father, but didn't turn around to see him.

"I have a goal now," she said. "I'm going to Mistral and get some answers of my own. And then I'll have closure."

Taiyang frowned. "Is that what it's all about? Closure? You know that's not how I raised you."

"Really?" Yang asked sarcastically. "Is shutting down after Mom's death your idea of raising your children?"

Taiyang was taken aback, as if his daughter struck a nerve. He wanted to reply, but Yang continued to speak.

"I'm not going to just drudge around here, lamenting about what went wrong." She flew the doors to the shack open, revealing her motorcycle. "Those days are over. I have full intent of seeing this through to the end."

As Yang approached her motorcycle, she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. She turned to see Taiyang with a concerned look, just like any other father would have.

"Could you promise me something before you go?" he asked.

Yang sighed, realizing that she was not going to get out of this one. "What is it?"

Taiyang looked her in the eyes. "Don't lose yourself to anger. I don't want to open up old wounds- no pun intended, I swear- but you know what happened the last time you lost it."

Yang did not appreciate the warning. She knew that better than anyone. Hell, there was a glaring reminder of that night where most of her arm was. She pushed back whatever uneccessary remark she would have made and decided to play ball for now.

"Like I'd lose myself again," she said. "I'm not going to let history repeat itself."

Taiyang looked at her warily, wondering if she was being sincere with her words, or only said that just to get him off her back. For now, she decided to trust her.

"Okay," he said, forcing a smile. "Try to be careful, okay?"

Yang nodded and got on her motorcycle. She started the engine and drove off, her goal clear as the sky above. As she got farther and farther, Taiyang's concern grew.

"I hope she doesn't become anything like Raven," he said.

* * *

 _Present day..._

"What do you mean she got out?" the thug leader shouted in astonishment.

"She tricked us into thinking we easily captured her!" the goon replied with equal shock.

"Well, why are we standing around like idiots? We gotta find her-"

"Looking for someone, boneheads?"

The thugs turn around to see Yang standing before them, holding one of the unconscious thugs with her new arm. She glared at all of them, her eyes blazing with barely contained anger.

"So... who wants to go out with a Yang?"

* * *

 **KS: Alright... I want everyone to know firsthand that this will be the first time I will make a particular character... act differently than they normally do. I'm not the type to dabble in OOC very often, so this will be a new experience for me and your support and critique would be most appreciated. Have a good night, everyone. Peace.**


	7. Chapter 7

KS: Man, V5 has dropped and it is looking spectacular... so far. It's still got like, what, 13 more episodes to go on (provided we're not always stymied by those insufferable WoRs again)? But anyway, I am looking forward to the next episode, and watching the first inspired me to write some more of this. If any of you still want ot read it, now's your chance.

* * *

RNJR and Lilac continued on the path, not saying a word to each other. That is, until Nora started asking more questions about their new companion.

"So Lilac, how long have you lived in Mistral?"

"Since I was little," the violet haired man replied.

"Do you have any favorite foods?"

"Well, I have a lot, but anything sweet is my absolute favorite."

As the Q & A between them continued, Ruby took the time to speak with Jaune, who appeared more sullen than before.

"You have to admit, Lilac seems like a nice guy," she said.

Jaune let out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess so."

Ruby took note of his depressed tone and knew she had to do something. "Jaune, did you and Ren have a fight?"

At the mention of Ren, the swordsman turned away spat out, "No."

"Then why won't you even look him in the eye?" Ruby asked.

Jaune sighed again. "He's got this stupid idea in his head that I'm unfit to lead."

Ruby had a good idea as to why Ren would assume such a thing, but she needed more information to be sure. "Is it what happened to Pyrrha?"

Much to her surprise, Jaune abruptly stopped walking. The others stopped as well. He clenched his fists started to breathe slowly.

"What, now you think it as well?" he said slowly. "Do you also believe that I would be so hung up over Pyrrha's death, I wouldn't be able to lead properly?"

Ruby was almost hesistant to ask more questions. "Jaune, I never implied that-"

"Then what are you implying?" he snapped, surprising her. "Tell me Ruby, if you're not implying that I can't lead right just because of what happened to Pyrrha, then what are you implying?"

Jaune visibly upset. Whatever repressed emotions he had are finally coming to the surface. Although, they were in the worst place for that to happen.

"Jaune, please calm down," Nora pleaded, having a feeling of dread grow in the pit of heart.

"No! I won't calm down!" he yelled. "I got enough of this crap from Ren, and I don't need it from anyone else! I'll only say this one more time... I'm fine."

That did not sit well with Ren in the slightest as he walked to Jaune... and belted him across his face, causing him the fall down.

"I thought I told you not to lie," he said lowly.

Jaune got annoyed and quickly got up, returning the same notion to Ren, only even harder.

"What the hell do I have to do to convince you I'm not lying?" he growled.

Ren got up, his expression matching Jaune's as he got up in his face, growling lowly.

"It's been written all over your face since we left for Mistral. Face it, Jaune, you're still hung up over the death of Pyrrha and dragging all of us down," he hissed.

Jaune grabbed him by his shirt and aimed his fist towards Ren, ready to strike him if he said something that didn't sit well with him.

"You leave Pyrrha out of this!" he shouted. "Quit using her name as reason for how I've been feeling, you prick! It's really staring to piss me off!"

Ruby seperated the two, knowing full well the deadly repercusions that came with negativity in an open space. "Knock it off, both of you! We're not going to get anywhere if you two keep going on like this!"

"But-" Jaune started, only for the redhead to cut him off.

"No buts!" Ruby said, putting her foot down. "Whatever disagreement you two have, save it for when we get to Mistral. If you do it here, we'll attract unwanted attention."

Nora widened her eyes in horror. "Uh, Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

Nora pointed behind her. "I think we attracted some unwanted attention."

Ruby turned to where she pointed and paled. Standing before her and others was a pack of Grimm. Not a large amount, but enough to end the life anyone dumb enough to wander outside of the kingdoms unprepared.

"Oh... this looks bad," she said, taking out Crescent Rose.

Nora did the same with Magnhild. Jaune and Ren followed and armed themselves, feeling somewhat responsible for bringing the horde to them.

"Now, now, you don't need to worry your pretty heads about this."

They all turned to Lilac, who calmly walked towards the Grimm with a bored expression.

"Lilac, are you crazy?" Ruby snapped. "They'll tear you to shreds! And you don't even have a weapon!"

Lilac turned to her and chuckled. "Oh, Ruby, I always have my weapon. I just like to keep it in a safe place."

Ruby was confused by what he said. She was about to ask, but went silent when a blue glow began to surround the man, followed by small lights circling around him. The sight was enough to make the Grimm stop and stare.

"What's he doing?" Jaune whispered.

"I don't know," Nora shrugged. "But it looks weird."

As the glowing continued, Lilac closed his eyes started to mutter.

( **Bayonetta OST: Fly Me To The Moon –Climax Mix-** )

" _Hear the pleas of a lost soul. Grant power to decimate all sinners. At times of great importance, an immortal sword will cut down those of ill intent."_

Lilac opened his eyes and stared at the Grimm with absolute fury.

" _Awaken, Arondight Sigma!_ "

(Bayonetta OST: Fly Me To The Moon –Climax Mix-)

As soon as the words were uttered, two glyphs appeared beside Lilac. He reached into them and pulled out a pair of silver pistols with lilac insignias engraved on both of them. Once he had them in his hands, Lilac pulled the trigger and shot down nine Beowolves. The rest of the Grimm took that as an act of hostility and charged towards them.

"Is that the best you've got?" Lilac joked, decending to the ground. "You must not think every highly of me."

He looked up to see a Nevermore diving towards him, its talons extended in preparation to shred him to bits. Lilac just dashed towards the creature and jumped on its back, using it as a makeshift launch pad to boost him up. As soon as he did, two more Beowolves lunged towards him, but he quickly shot them down.

"Come on, quit giving me the scraps," he yelled, shooting an Ursa. "I want a challenge, damn it."

His wish was soon granted as a Death Stalker charged towards him. He smirked and began to open fire on the scorpion Grimm, but it was uneffected by the bullets. Seeing the futility in his attack, Lilac got out of its way, only to be knocked back a Boarbatusk. He quickly recovered, but one of his pistols slipped from his grasp due to the tumble.

"Damn it all," he muttered. He raced to recover his lost weapon, only to be surrounded by the Grimm. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he used his free hand to grip his remaining pistol and pointed it to the ground.

"I really didn't want to have to do this, but it seems like my options are all but lowered."

He took a deep breath, then exhaled, giving off a wide grin.

"Time to rock the house."

He shoved the pistol into the ground and pulled the trigger. A large blue glyph appeared in the area, causing an upward draft that launched the surrounding Grimm into the air. Lilac took the opportunity to retrieve his other gun. Once he did, he jumped into the air and spun around while shooting Grimm suspended in the air. He fell to the ground and landed on his feet, but the Grimm disolved into smoke when they fell.

"It's curtains for you, freaks," he said to no one in particular.

(End Song)

Team RNJR stood in absolute shock. One man was able to take down legions of Grimm with only a pair of pistol and emerge victorious. Few have attempted such a feat and lived to tell the tale, but they had a front-row seat to the action. And it was spectacular.

"Wow... that was so cool!" Ruby squealed in joy.

"I know!" Nora shrieked in the same pitch. "He took those Grimm down like it was nothing!"

Lilac twirled his guns around before heading towards the group. While he enjoyed the praise Ruby and Nora gave him, his attention was focused towards the ones responsible for bringing the Grimm to where they were in the first place. In other words, Jaune and Ren.

Upon seeing his cheerful expression fade, both of them braced for whatever lecture he had for them. Instead, he slammed his elbows on top of their heads, knocking them unconscious. Ruby and Nora were understandably shocked.

"W-What did you do that for?" Nora asked in shock.

"Those boneheads had to learn in some way," Lilac answered plainly. "The last thing we need is more unwanted attention. Speaking of..."

He swiftly turned around, pointing his gun at the next visitor. He didn't look very impressed.

"You mind telling me why you're point that at my face, kid?"

Lilac was about to answer, but a high-pitched squeal from Ruby cut him off, as the girl dashing past him, causing him to lose his balance fall to the ground.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby hugged him tightly, estatic to see him.

Qrow managed to get her off before she inadvertantly cut off his circulation. "Easy there, kid. I'm not going anywhere." He brought out his flask and drank from it before speaking again. "Now, I've got a lot of questions, but one nags at me in particular."

He turns to the violet-haired man. "Who are you? And how do you know Ruby?"

Lilac lowered his pistol. "I'm Christian Lilac."

Qrow scratched his head. "Right. So, Christian-"

"Lilac."

Qrow blinked. "Come again?"

Lilac narrowed his eyes at him "Call me Lilac. That's what everyone else does."

"Why would anyone call you by your last name?" Qrow asked.

"Just do it," Ruby suggested. "I don't really get it either, but he probably doesn't want to explain why."

Qrow looked into his niece's eyes, knowing that she wasn't going to let up unless he complied. Sighing heavily, he turned to the man in question.

"Okay... Lilac. What's your reason for hanging around these kids?"

Lilac grinned widely. "Well, I met them at a village not from far from here. They said they were on their way to Mistral and offered to go with them." He pointed his thumb towards himself. "I was born there, so I can show them all the sights the kingdom has to offer."

"As good as that sounds, we don't have time to sightsee," Qrow said. "There's business to attend to in Mistral, and we can't waste a second."

Hearing that made Lilac fall to the ground in a comedic fashion. He picked himself up, looking at Qrow dejectedly.

"Come on, they can take a breather before taking care of business," he said. "What's work without a little pleasure, huh?"

"I get the feeling you're the type to put pleasure before work," Qrow scoffed.

Lilac tilted his head. "Is that right? Well..."

Without any warning, he swiftly took the older man's flask and waved it around.

"Judging by how you keep this close at hand, we know where your pleasures lie."

"Hey, give that back!" Qrow snapped. He attempted to retrieve his flask, but Lilac flash stepped away from him. He continued to chase him, but he was always a few steps ahead.

"Gonna have to try harder than that, old man," he teased.

Qrow started to get annoyed with his antics. "Why you...!"

As the chase continued, Nora laughed as if she was watching a funny scene from a cartoon. Ruby, on the other hand, let out a sigh of frustration.

"This is going to be a long trip," she said.

* * *

KS: Man, Lilac is just full of surprises, isn't he? He's also the type to put play before work, so I think that should balance out his wickedly awesome power... sort of. But anyway, I was thinking about whether I should add the scene when the group meets Lionheart or not. I'm actually a little conflicted on the matter, so I would really like to hear your opinion on it. That is, if it's not too much trouble.


	8. Chapter 8

**KS: Yeah, I know, I'm back. Couldn't stay away any longer. I've been bitten by my friend, the inspiration bug and I just had to write this. I'm starting to like the direction this is going, but I can't say that I fully like it. I'll just have to keep at what I'm currently doing until I get the results I require. Oh, one more thing. This is going to come to a scene during the first V5 episode, but it will diverge from canon, so... just warning you right now. Enjoy.**

* * *

The group arrived at Haven Academy without any trouble, where they were greeted by Professor Lionheart. Well, "greeted" wouldn't be the correct the word, to be honest. Ruby knocked on the door leading the headmaster's study, but there was no answer. Feeling impatient, Lilac asked her to step aside and allow him to handle it. And what was his way of handling it, you ask?

He kicked the doors open, sending them flying and making Lionheart faint. Everyone present was shocked into silence, aside from Qrow, who gave the young man an annoyed look.

"Huh... I might have overdone it a bit," Lilac chuckled nervously.

"A bit, he says," Qrow muttered.

Once he regained his bearings from the ordeal, Lionheart properly introduced himself to the group, with Ruby and others doing the same. Lilac just stood the side reading some random books on the shelves. Once they got the formalities out of the way, Qrow got down to business.

"Alright, Leo. You probably know why we're here," he said. "We need the location of the Spring Maiden."

"I am aware," Lionheart replied solemnly. "But I am afraid she has abandoned her duties and is in hiding."

Qrow widened his eyes in shock. "What? You mean to tell us you don't know where she ran off to?"

"I wish I could tell you otherwise, but every patrol sent has come up with negative results," the headmaster said. "I fear that the worst has happened to her."

"Why don't you contact the other kingdoms and see if she's hiding in one of them?" Ruby asked. "I mean, that's one possibility to consider."

"Normally, it would," Qrow replied. "But with Beacon Tower in shambles, communications across the world are at a standstill, making that theory a million to one chance of being true."

Ruby slightly deflated, knowing that her uncle had a point.

"Hey, don't feel bad," Nora said, patting her on the head. "It's a solid theory."

Ren nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's best to think positive in dark times. It helps keep the spirit at ease."

Jaune did not appear at ease in the slightest. There was a question he needed to ask and he wasn't prepared to wait a second longer.

"I've been to ask something about some of your students," he asked lowly, balling his hands into fists.

Lionheart sighed. "I take you're referring to Emerald, Mercury and Cinder?"

Jaune didn't responded, which was enough for the headmaster.

"If you must know, they are not enrolled in this academy. In fact, not one of them was even born in Mistral."

"So, where are they from?" Ruby asked.

"That, I am unsure of," Lionheart answered.

Qrow brought out his flask and took a swig from it before speaking. "Back to the main topic, Leo, I still can't believe you let the Spring Maiden slip out of your grasp."

Lionheart slumped in his chair. "Yes, it was regrettable. But rest assured, we have not stopped our search for her and continue that way until she is found and recovered."

"I hope so," Qrow said. "Without the Maiden, there's no way of getting our hands on the Relic. Just so you haven't forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten, even if I wanted to," Lionheart said.

Qrow sighed. "Then, I guess we're done here."

He gestured to RNJR and Lilac to follow him out. Lilac, however, stayed behind to offer some words to the headmaster.

"Hey, Lionheart... sorry about the doors, man. I'll be sure to foot the bill for them."

Lionheart chuckled. "That would be most appreciated."

Lilac smirked. "Great. See you soon."

And with that, he left, leaving the old man alone.

"What am I doing with my life?" he muttered, lowering his head.

* * *

"Well, I think I speak on behalf of everyone present here when I say that was a total bust," Nora said as they walked out of the school grounds.

"At very least, we know the truth about the ones responsible for instigating the fall of Beacon," Ren replied. "Now we just need to know where they are."

"Okay, listen up, all of you," Qrow said gaining everyone's attention. "I think I have a general idea of what you're thinking, and I'm just going to say it. Don't think about it."

"What are you talking about?" Jaune asked bitterly.

Qrow turned to the blond with a inquisitive look. "What, you think I'm an idiot or something? I just know you want a chance to avenge your teammate, but it's not worth the trouble. I doubt Pyrrha would want any of you throwing your lives away for her sake."

Jaune turned away. "You don't know that."

"I do," Qrow replied. "I mean, look at Ruby. She witnessed firsthand what happened to her, but you don't see her plotting any revenge tactics. Isn't that right, Ruby?"

Upon hearing the name of her friend, Ruby fell silent. She didn't utter word when Pyrrha was brought up, and the very mention of revenge made her think.

"Hey, Ruby," Qrow said, noting her grim expression. "Say something, kid. You're scaring us a little."

After a while, Ruby took a deep breath and exhaled.

"To be honest, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't jump at the opportunity to avenge Pyrrha."

Qrow sighed. "I thought as much."

But to his surprise, Ruby wasn't finished. "But I know, deep down, that she would want us to keep moving forward, rather than dwell on what happened." She gave off a small smile. "At least, that's what I think."

Qrow returned the smile with one of his own. "Well, if she was still around, she'd be pretty proud of you right now."

Ruby blushed lightly. Soon, Lilac approached them.

"Okay, people, hear this," he said. "I have an idea on how we can get information on the Spring Maiden's whereabouts."

"Is that true?" Ren asked.

Lilac rubbed his shoulder. "Well, I neglected to mention it earlier, but my boss happens to know a lot of information about anything and anyone."

"You mean, like an information broker?" Nora asked.

Lilac breathed heavily. "Not... exactly. I mean, they do know a lot, but they're no info broker."

"Well, who are they?" Jaune asked.

Lilac began to chuckle nervously. "Well..."

* * *

RNJR and Qrow found themselves following Lilac into the more shady parts of Mistral.

"Lilac, I don't believe this for one second," Qrow groaned. "When were you planning on telling us you've been working with the world's oldest crime syndicate?"

"Hey, it's not a crime syndicate," Lilac said defensively. "It's more of a... multiple interest group. You know, the kind that brings in products and items of interests."

"Like narcotics and weapons?" Ren asked.

Lilac sighed. "No. Well, we don't manufacture drugs, but weapons are another story. The group I work for produces Dust."

"What of it?" Jaune asked. "The Schnee Dust Company is the largest Dust manufacturer in the world."

"And the most corrupt," Lilac added. "You've heard the rumblings them, haven't you? Using faunus the main work force due to discriminatory reasons, unsafe environments, shady deals... I can go on at that point, but the bottom line is, the SDC have fallen from grace when it was taken over by some greedy outsider."

"So I've heard," Qrow mused. "But returning to the original topic, why didn't you mention anything about working with this group, Lilac?"

The young put his arms behind his head. "Well, I figured after that disaster in Vale, all the other kingdoms are on high alert and are keeping a close eye on any sususpicious characters. But on that note, there's a likely chance that some White Fang members are in the shadows, plotting their next move. It wouldn't surprise me if Haven was their next target."

As Lilac continued talking, Ruby took the time to look at the new surroundings. She had always heard from Qrow that the lower levels of Mistral was something to be avoided, but looking around, it was not much different from the upper levels. There were plenty of merchants around and they even had a pub. But the people appeared more than a little shady and she felt that the merchandise on sale was beyond illegal.

"Hey, Lilac," Nora said. "This boss of yours... do you think they'll be comfortable with students hanging around?"

Lilac grinned. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it. He has no problem with students around these parts. In fact, believe it or not, I saw a couple of them walking here before the whole Vytal affair."

"You mean to say Haven students actually come down this level?" Ren asked.

Lilac chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

As they continued walking, Jaune didn't watch where he was going and bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry, I was-"

He stopped short when he saw the person. He was certain it was a girl, judging by how her face was structured. He red hair was visible at the front, but the rest of it was covered by a black cloak. Also, on the girl's face were red tattoos of unknown origin and her green eyes were surrounded by black sclera.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

Jaune couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wanted to believe it was her, he really did. But alas, the differences in this girl and the one he had grown to appreciate were clear as day.

"P-Pyr-"

"Hey, dumbass!" a sharp voice yelled.

Jaune was snapped out of reverie when someone shouted at him. He looked down to see a girl glaring up at him. She had pale skin, short black hair and aquamarine eyes. She wore a black short kimono with a fox emblem on the back.

"Y-Yeah?" he asked nervously.

"Didn't anyone tell you to watch where you were going?" she snapped.

For some reason, the girl intimidated Jaune. "L-Look, it was in accident. I was only distracted for a- AGH!"

Once again, Jaune was cut off, but this time, by a sharp pain in between his legs. The girl delievered a power kick to his privates, sending him to the ground, holding his groin as he groaned in agony.

"Next time, don't be so distracted!" the girl spat as she grabbed the other girl's arm, dragging her away. "Let's go."

As they walked away, the girl in the cloaked looked back at Jaune for a brief moment, then continued to be led away by the smaller girl. The others quickly reached Jaune and saw him rolling around while gripping his groin.

"Wow, that girl did a number on your nuts there," Lilac chuckled. "Judging by how powerful her kick was, I wouldn't be surprised if it made you sterile."

As he laughed, the rest of RNJR and Qrow looked at him distainfully.

"Low kicks are no laughing matter to a man," the older huntsman sighed.

* * *

It took navigating, but the group made it to the deepest part of the Mistral underground. Standing in their way was a stone door with a strange circle painted on it.

"And here were are," Lilac announced. "The main hideout for the Ars Goetia."

"Lilac, you better know what you are doing," Qrow warned. "If these kids get into any trouble with your people-"

"There is not going to be any trouble," Lilac said reassuringly. "The boss would never harm any minors, especially if they were academy students."

Qrow narrowed his eyes. "For your sake, you better be right."

Lilac walked to the door and places his hands on the circle. Nothing happens for a few seconds, but soon the circle began to glow purple, causing the stone door to decend into the ground.

"Alright," he said. "Right this way."

The group followed him through the door, but Jaune limped his way through, due to his earlier injury.

Past the door was a wide room with statues around each and every corner. In the middle lies a fountain sculpted in the shape of a Beowolf.

"Wow," Ruby said in awe. "This feels a lot like a mansion, but underground."

Lilac chuckled. "That's probably the angle the boss was getting at. They did always have a flare for the gaudy."

Qrow looked at the architecture in disgust. "Gaudy is one word for it. This stuff makes Atlas easy to look at."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer my household to that wretched excuse for a kingdom."

Everyone turned around to see a see a young woman walk up to them. She had long brown hair, gray eyes and fair skin. She wore a black suit and pants with matching shoes, a red tie and round glasses.

"Lilac, you didn't tell me you would be bringing visitors," the woman stated neutrally, adjusting her glasses.

"Well, I would have called ahead of time, but... things happen," Lilac said. "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you. This is Team RNJR and the scruffy guy next to them is Qrow... what's your last name?"

"Branwen," he said, narrowing his eyes at being called scruffy.

"A pleasure to meet you," the woman replied. "My name is Schokolade Astaroth. I serve as one of the supervisors for the activities done by the Ars Goetia."

"Alright, can I just say something here?" Nora said, bringing all attention to her. "What exactly does this Arms Goat Tea or whatever do anyway?"

"Well, if the original name is hard to pronounce, they're also known as the 72 Pillars," Lilac explained. "And if even that is too much for you, just take out the numbers."

"So, they're known to most as the Pillars?" Ren asked. "Not a very intimidating name for a crime syndicate."

Astaroth narrowed her eyes towards him. "I appreciate it if you did not refer our organization as such. It's quite disgraceful."

"Yeah, yeah, not important," Qrow interrupted. "Now, Lilac told us that you, for some unknown reason that you probably won't give us no matter how press, have information on the Spring Maiden's whereabouts."

Astaroth nodded. "We do, but that information does not come without a cost."

Qrow sighed miserably. "Of course not. What do you want?"

Astaroth reached into her suit pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed to him. Qrow unfolded it and saw a picture of a disk-shaped artifact.

"So... you want us to get this thing for you?" he asked.

"That thing happens to be a very powerful object," Astaroth said. "It allowed the user to reveal secrets long hidden, cast away by the Aurum Empire."

"Aurum Empire? What's that?" Ruby asked, clearly interested.

Astaroth waved them off. "That's enough questions. Now, off with you all. Once you retrieve this artifact, we'll discuss location of the Spring Maiden."

"Yeah, about that," Nora said. "We don't even know where to find this artifact of yours. How do you expect us to find it?"

Astaroth lightly gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh my goodness, how could I be so careless?" She quickly took her scroll out and opened it, showing the group the area around the kingdom, but brought their focus on a specific area marked with a red circle. "That's where you need to find the artifact."

"That's more like it," Ren said. "Any additional information before he head out?"

"Just one," Astaroth said. "Try to mind the Grimm in that area. They become unconventional around there."

"What does that mean?" Jaune groaned, barely recovering from his injury.

"It means practice the most utmost caution while approaching them," Astaroth answered. "Now, off with you."

The group prepared to leave but, Qrow stopped them.

"Hold on a minute," he said, turning to Astaroth. "Forgive me if I come across as skeptical, but how can we be certain that you'll tell us what we need to know once we bring this thing to you?"

"I assure you that the object you have been ordered to retrieve is very valuable," Astaroth said. "It just may be valuable enough to allow me to divulge information on your precious Maiden. Now, good day."

Feel like that was all the information he would get out of her, Qrow made his way to the exit and motioned RNJR to follow him. Lilac stayed behind and looked at Astaroth with concern.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why you bother with sending off huntsman do to your dirty work," he said.

Astaroth shrugged. "What can I say, Lilac? I have too much on my plate to go out there and play around in the dirt."

"Well, you playing around in the dirt was the reason why we've gotten so much Lien on hand," Lilac retorted. "And now, you just delegate your job onto some rookie hunters."

Astaroth pushed up her glasses and sighed in frustration. "Lilac... just go."

He let out a dismissive grunt and made his way out.

"What a stubborn man," Astaroth mused. "I can't believe I ever had an interest in him."

* * *

"So, if we get this thing, that lady will tell us everything about where the Spring Maiden is?" Ruby asked.

"I hope so," Jaune said with worry. "I'd hate to go on a wild goose chase and end up with nothing."

"I say just get this over with and find the thing," Ren suggested. "Best we move now while the sun is still up."

"Then let's not wait any longer!" Nora cheered. "Onward ho!"

As Team RNJR set off, Qrow and Lilac trailed behind them.

"This piece of junk better be worth the trouble, kid," Qrow said.

Lilac sighed. "Trust me, it will be worth it."

* * *

 **KS: Okay, naming a crime group after a collection of demons was something I never thought of doing, but I did it anyway. Also, that girl Jaune ran into seems kind of familiar. Makes you wonder what her deal is, or why that other girl next to her appears to be rather possessive of her. But back to the main point, if the group wants to know about the whereabouts of the Spring Maiden, they'll need to recover an artifact. Let's see if this really is worth the trouble. Be sure to fave, follow and review, though.**


	9. Chapter 9

**KS: (watched episode 10) That was beautful, man. Just... beautiful.**

* * *

Weiss stared at the mysterious man as she sat across from him. There was so many things about him that made her skin crawl, she didn't know where to begin. Although, he did save her from that assassin posing as an inn attendant. She was grateful to him for that, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was sketchy about him.

Speaking of the man, he was cleaning out his revolver, which she assumed she used to shoot the assassin's wings into pieces. Weiss could tell that is was an old model, but it looked as if it were in mint condition.

"You know, if you want to ask me something, now's the time," he said, not moving his eyes from his weapon.

Weiss slightly jumped when she heard him speak after hours of silence, but quickly composed herself.

"Right, um... if you don't mind me asking, what is your name?"

The man continued cleaning his weapon, but answered her question. "My name, huh? Well, you can call me Humo Blanco."

Weiss found his name odd, but didn't comment on it. After all, her own name could sound weird to anyone who's never heard of her family's company.

"Alright then, Humo. What is it that you do for a living?"

It was at that point when Humo stopped cleaning his revolver and looked at Weiss. She wasn't able to see his face, but she was able to feel his menacing gaze.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"I'm just trying to make conversation," Weiss replied hastily. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Humo sighed. "No, I'll talk. I'm a bounty hunter. I go around Mistral searching for criminals who are a threat to people."

"The only criminals around here are you humans, and your existance alone threatens the well-being and freedom of all faunus!"

Both Weiss and Humo turn to see Marron glaring at them. She was tied to a tree with only one wing remaining, but she still glared at them with every amount of hate and contempt she could muster.

"You won't give us the time of day just because of how we look. And if we push a little hard, then you beat us. Then, all of a sudden, you decide to kill us because of our appearance! That seems like a good enough reason for- mmph!"

Her tirade was cut off by a wisp of smoke wrapping around her mouth, silencing her. Weiss was surprised to see that.

"She was really getting on my nerves," Humo sighed. "Good thing I have that old trick to help out."

Weiss turned to him with eyes wide as saucers. "You mean... that was your doing?"

Humo chuckled. "I bet you've never seen someone with a semblance like mine before."

Weiss shook her head, clearly to shocked to speak.

"It's been a real help with me on my jobs, Humo explained. "All that is required is to be near some smoke. Whether it was caused by a fire that I started, or something is burning nearby, I can shape it to whatever form I desire."

"Could you provide an example of what you can do with it?" Weiss asked, making no effort to conceal her intrigue.

"Why not?" Humo said, standing up. "I can give a live demonstration."

He stood still for a few seconds, breathing deeply. Weiss was about to ask what he was doing, but before she could say a word, the smoke caused by the fire began to swirl around Humo. It twisted and turned, taking various forms. One form was a miniature King Taijitu that coiled itself around his arm.

"So, what do you think?" Humo asked.

Weiss blinked. "I think that no words can properly describe how I feel right now."

Humo chuckled as the the snake disolved. "I figured you say that. My semblance truly is one of a kind."

Weiss shook her head. "I wouldn't say that. My semblance allows me to use glyphs for combat."

"Are you able to use them for summoning?" Humo asked.

Weiss shifted nervously. "To be honest, I... never really gotten around to it."

Humo sat back down, disolving the smoke around him. "What do you mean?"

"I've been practicing with my summoning, but certain things prevent me from practicing," Weiss said sheepishly.

"Like what?" Humo inquired.

Weiss sighed. "Oh, nothing much, other than me reeling back from the events of Beacon, verbal and emotional abuse from my father and someone from the White Fang making an attempt on my life has me... distracted."

Humo stoked the fire with a loose branch and threw it in. "Well, you don't have to worry about those distractions anymore. Especially the one tied to the tree over there."

Marron continued to muffle angrily as she thrashed against her restraints.

"So, I can practice?" Weiss asked.

Humo nodded. "Go ahead. Let's see what you're made of."

Weiss stood up and picked up Myrtenaster. She raised it in front of her face and closed her eyes, concentrated on what she wanted to summon. Her own sister was able to do it, so she should have no problem doing the same.

A large glyph appeared in front of her, spinning at a rapid pace as she grit her teeth. Humo watched the display and didn't like what he was seeing.

"At the rate she's going, the only thing she'll get out of that is a ruptured blood vessel," he mused. "I better stop her before she faints."

Humo approached Weiss, but when he lightly touched her shoulder, a bright flash of light engulfed them both. Fortunately, he used his hat to shield his eyes from the brightness.

"All right, now what in the name of dust just... happened?"

As soon as he lifted his hat, he nearly fainted upon seeing what appeared to be a large suit of armor carrying a giant sword. The giant looked down at him, as if it were trying to read his very soul.

"Just when I thought I'd seen it all, life still finds ways to surprise me," Humo muttered, reaching for his pistol. No sooner did he gripped it, the armor made its move. Humo saw the attack and rolled out of the way, pistol in hand. He made several quick shots at the giant, but no penetrated its armor, or even fazed it.

"Well, this is going to end well," Humo muttered, awaiting his impending doom.

The suit of armor raised its sword, preparing to strike down the gunslinger.

"STOP!"

A sharp voice made the armor cease its movements before it could carry out the execution.

"Well, that had to be the closest brush with death I've ever had," Humo sighed.

He saw Weiss walk up beside the figure, breathing heavily with sweat dripping down her face.

"That... was... brutal," she panted, before fainting. Humo quickly went to her side before she hit the ground.

"Man, this girl is full of surprises," he said, turning his gaze towards the armor she summoned. "And then some."

* * *

 **KS: A man who's name means smoke in another language and his semblance allows him to control it... I think my originality is running dry here. But then again, maybe it isn't. On another note, I heard about some alternative plot challenge going on. I wonder if it's too late to join? Oh well, it probably is, but it doesn't matter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**KS: And we're back for some more Nature's Wrath. I'll be honest, there were certain things about last week's episode that didn't sit well with me and probably the rest of the FNDM (namely how Weiss was presented), but I digress. It's the new year, and we should put all of the past year's troubles behind us. Now, let us read.**

* * *

Blake was still shaken after her encounter with the armed group that razed the White Fang outpost to the ground along with the operatives stationed there. In all her life with the Fang, she had never run into such a highly armed and dangerous group that opposed them, and she never thought she ever would. Until now.

She was at a local pub in a village located near a swamp. To be perfectly honest, it wasn't the ideal spot to gather intel, but given the circumstances, it was all she had to go on.

* * *

"You're looking for some group who tore the Fang a new one by flattening their outpost, huh?" the bartender said, wiping a glass. He was a tall, muscular man with dark skin, orange eyes and black hair tied in corn rows. He wore a white tank top under a gray apron, blue pants and brown sandals.

"Do you know anything about them?" Blake asked hopefully. "Any information will do."

He put his glass down and looked at Blake. "Can you give me a description of what they look like? If they sound familiar, I can tell you what I know."

Blake nodded and gave the description. "They had white armor with orange highlights. Also, they had weaponry that made Atlas look poor in comparison."

The bartender took in the information he was given, then let out a heavy sigh.

"I was hoping it wouldn't be them, but I don't see anyone else capable of destroying a White Fang outpost and live to tell the tale."

"Do you know who they are?" Blake asked.

The bartender chuckled. "Know them? Kid, about a day ago, those people you described stopped by here. Said they were going out to burn down another outpost.

Blake's jaw nearly dropped. "Another? You mean that they've been hitting other outposts?"

"Sure have," the bartender replied gleefully. "You know, the White Fang has been giving our village no end of trouble trying to recruit the faunus population into their dead end cause. And if no one complied, they would use one of us as an example of what will happen if we cross them. Lucky for us, those soldiers killed their hopes of returning around here after bringing their outpost to pieces. We'd all be dead if it weren't for them."

"Who are they?" Blake asked.

"They're known as Grimoire," the bartender answered. "A group of mercenaries with skills at are at the same level as a veteran huntsman. It's unknown how or when the group was founded, but they've been around for a long time."

"If they've been active for that long, they must have been around during the Great War," Blake theorized.

The bartender shrugged as he took out a bottle of milk and poured it into a mug. "That's the rumor, although I have doubts they were organized back then as they are now." He pushed the mug towards Blake. "It's on the house."

Blake looked at the mug and blinked in confusion. She turned to the bartender. "Why would you-"

"Thought you wanted some," he interrupted. "You know... all things considered.

Blake didn't know what he was talking about, but when he pointed to her head, she started to get an idea. Lifting a hand to the top of her head, she noticed that her ears were completely visble. She began to panic.

"What? How?" she began to fidget uncontrollably, realizing that she lost her ribbon after escaping the soldiers. "Oh no..."

"Relax, kid," the bartender said reassuringly. "I get a lot of faunus around her and I have no problems with them. Although, you seem to have a problem."

Blake's ears curled down as her expression sank. "It's... complicated."

"I won't pry unless you ask me to," he said.

"Thank you," Blake said quietly.

"By the way, are you gonna drink that? If not, I can give it to some cats who-"

Blake immediately took the mug of milk and chugged it down before the bartender could say anything else.

"...Or you could do that," he said, slightly shocked.

Blake let out a sigh of content as she slammed the mug down on the barstool.

"I need a break from all this," she said. "I need a break from everything going wrong with the world.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about the incident in Vale, would you?" the bartender asked.

Blake was caught off guard by the question. "W-Why do you ask?"

The bartender sighed. "It's all everyone talks about around here. Did anyone you know get caught up in that mess?"

Blake felt the pit of guilt in her heart grow deeper than before. She basically in the dead center of the incident in Beacon... and a close friend of hers nearly lost her life in it. And what did she do afterwards? Leave her and everyone else left to dry without so much as a note or explanation.

Then again, she thought that neither one could properly justify her abrupt absence.

"I'd rather not talk about that," she said somberly.

The bartender took the hint and decided not to press the issue. "I understand."

Blake was washed over with relief, but that did very little to quell the raging guilt that dwelled within her.

"Hey, we're back, boss!" a youthful voice called out.

Blake nearly jumped at the voice and turned to the source... and immediately paled.

Walking though the door were the same soldiers she encounted in the ruined outpost, their white and orange armor plain in view.

"We just brought another outpost to shambles!" one of them said brashly.

"Maybe these will teach those damn Fangers we don't want a damn thing to do with them," another said with an elegant tone.

"I doubt it," a third said dully. "If there's one thing about the White Fang, its that none of them will rest until they've wiped every human off the planet."

They all stopped when they saw Blake standing in front of them. Both parties stared at each other, wary of their intentions. Blake considered drawing her weapon to intimidate them, but she quickly scratched that plan out, knowing that it would be ineffective against a small group of trained soldiers.

"Hey, I know you," the brash one said. "You were at the ruined outpost a while ago."

Blake winced at the memory. "Yeah, I know."

"You know, now that I think about it, you don't look like the type to stand with those Fangers," the elegant one said in a snob-like manner. "You seem much too timid to do anything about your current situation of your race."

Blake grit her teeth in frustration at the remark, not because of what the soldier said, but because it hit close to home.

"I wouldn't blame her," the dull one added. "With the direction the White Fang is taking, I'd say every faunus is trying real hard not to draw any attention to themselves."

Hearing that made Blake shiver with anger. She was trying real hard not to lunge at the soldier.

"Hey, all of you calm down," the bartender ordered. "There's no need for you to rile the poor girl up."

"Oh, don't worry boss," the brash soldier laughed. "We're not trying to rile her up. We're just telling her the facts on how the White Fang made it hard for all faunus to breathe easy in this-

His words failed him when he felt a sharp blade press against his neck. Blake gave him a dark look, threatening to cut him if he spoke out of line.

"Do you want me to kill you?" she growled. "If not, then don't give me any reason to."

Surprisingly, the dull soldier didn't react to her threat. He just moved the blade away from his neck and scoffed.

"Honestly, if you're going to threaten someone, do it like you mean it," he said with a disapproving tone.

Blake sheathed her weapon, but continued to glare at the soldier.

"I'm serious, here," the bartender said. "This pub has a strict one fight per week protocol. There was a big one last night and it took me the whole hour fixing this place up. I really don't want to have to replace the floorboards again."

"It's all good, boss," the brash soldier spoke. "Little Noir here has a tendancy to speak his mind once in a while."

"Well, make him tone it down a little," the bartender ordered. "The last thing I want to deal with is more injuries and repair bills."

"We'll try to keep him in check," the elegant soldier. "Now, would you kindly give us the usual?"

The bartender nodded and brought out three mugs, filling each of them with beer. He handed each one to the soldiers, who thanked him and opened the visors of their helmets and poured the drinks into their mouths. Blake couldn't help but be put off by their behavior.

"I'll make myself scarce now," she said quickly before turning to the bartender. "Thanks for the milk."

"Glad you like it," he said with a big smile. "It's on the house."

Blake nodded and prepared to walk out the door, when one of the soldiers grabbed her shoulder.

"Hold on, now. I have something that will interest you."

Blake slowly turned around to see who stopped her. It was the soldier with an elegant aura, but she could see her face now that it was no longer obscured by the visor. Her skin was pale, yet smooth and was complimented by purple eyes. Her lipstick was of the same color.

"We've acquired some... information about the White Fang, and I know you want to get your hands on it."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "And in order to get this information, I assume I have to give you something in exchange for it, right?"

The elegant soldier chuckled. "Well, aren't you a smart one? Yes, I do require something in exchange for the information. That is... if you're up for it."

Blake weighed her options. While the thought of more information was tempting, her rational/paranoid side felt that something was off about the deal. Almost as if she was witholding information of her own. Blake thought it was suspicious, but at the rate she was going, she had no alternative options.

"Okay," she said. "What do you want me to get?"

* * *

 **KS: Let's hope Blake isn't going to get herself into some trouble... oh, what am I saying? She's getting into it right now.**


	11. Chapter 11

**KS: Hey, did you miss me? I know I missed you. College has been a real pain, but I power through just to write for you good people. We'll be getting back to Yang where she'll be running into more trouble. Seriously, she needs a hug. Although, given how V5 ended (which could've been a hell of a lot better, and I'm talking about the entire volume in general, but I digress), she already got one. But, this fic is canon divergent and she's pissed off. Enjoy.**

* * *

Yang rode on her motorcycle, her frustrated expression growing more intense with every mile she took. Her encounter with the punks who ambushed her annoyed her to every known extent. Granted, it wasn't the first time she was treated badly since the incident during the tournament, and if she was being completely honest, it wouldn't be the last either. In no way did that make her feel better.

Everywhere she went, people either kept their distance around her or just glared at her with as much contempt as they can muster. Yang glared right back at them with double the amount, her eyes red like the raging fire within her. Of course, she expected this kind of reception when she arrived in Mistral in the first place.

She just didn't expect for it to hit her this hard.

"Unbelievable," Yang muttered, kicking a rock down the street. "That had to be the fifth place I was kicked out of just as I walked in."

As she trudged through the road, she felt the heated stares of everyone who passed by her. Yang returned the gesture tenfold, and they immediately looked away. She has had enough to deal with being the most hated being on Remnant and is no mood to take anymore of it.

"Well, well, well. Look who has the gall to show up in our kingdom after what she's done."

Releasing a heavy sigh of frustration, Yang turned to the source of the voice. Standing to her right were five girls wearing silver and black quipao with blossom patterns. The girl in the center had light skin and orange eyes along with pink hair tied in buns. She gave Yang a rather unpleasant look, prompting the blond to deliver one of her own.

"Don't you lot have anywhere better to be?" she groaned. "Like, somewhere that isn't with a 10-mile radius of where I'm standing."

The leader walked up to Yang without dropping her glare. "I don't think you understand, tramp. It may not look like it, but since your royal screw up during the Vytal Tournament, your name has been blacklisted in Mistral. Do you know what that means?"

"I don't know," Yang said with a shrug. "What does it-"

She was interrupted by a swift kick to her face that sent her spiraling into a nearby fruit stand, destroying the structure and scattering the produce all over the ground.

"Alright... that was a dirty trick," Yang growled, standing up. She flexed her arms and clenched her fist. "Fine. I've dealt with dirty before. I can take it."

The pinkette got into a combat stance, where her lackeys did the same. All of the charged towards Yang, aiming their punches and kicks towards her, but she didn't spend all those months sitting down. Her anger resurfaced, she dodged all of their strikes while delivering some at her assailants. Granted, her weapons weren't activated, but she still did a fair amount of damage to the attacking group. She dodged a kick from one of the girls, and sent her flying with an uppercut.

The next girl charged at Yang with a flurry of punches, but she blocked them all and delivered a brutal jab to her abdomen, literally knocking the wind out of her.

"Damn it," the pinkette growled. "This bitch is a lot tougher than I thought. Looks like I'll have to resort to that." She turned to her remaining lackeys with a cruel grin. "You keep her distracted while I prepare my secret weapon."

Knowing what she was talking about, the two girls nodded and matched her expression.

"Hey! Are we gonna stand around all day or are we gonna finish this?" Yang shouted.

As if on cue, the two girls charged Yang and hit her with every attack they could muster. Yang was able to block and dodge every one, not realizing that she was being set up.

"You two must really be desperate if you're trying to fight me at the same time," she taunted.

Both of them sneered, noticing that Yang still had no clue. They soon backed off, much to her confusion.

"What, had enough?" Yang grit her teeth. "Come on, I'm not through with- gah!"

Once more, Yang was interrupted, only this time, it was due to a sharp object being jabbed into her left arm, which soon ejected a strange fluid into her bloodstream.

"What the... who?"

Yang turned to see the leader standing behind her with a syringe in her hand, grinning evily.

"Bet you didn't see that coming," she hissed. "The drug should be taking effect right about now. It's very effective against those with high reserves of aura."

Yang was about to ask what the girl was talking about, but a sudden yet strong feeling of nausea robbed her of her ability to speak. She soon found herself struggling to stand.

"What's up? Can't seem to stand up straight?" the pinkette sneered. "Maybe the guilt from what you did to that guy is finally getting to you. Either way, this is where you meet your long-overdue end."

Staggering uncontrollably, Yang used what little strength she had to glare at her. "You... suck."

"Aw, the dumb bimbo is still hanging on," the pinkette said mockingly. "No matter. The drug has done it's work, but we'll finish the job." She turned to the other girls. "Come on, let's get this over with."

The two girls grinned evily as she walked towards Yang alongside their leader, preparing to finish her off. Much to the blonde's chagrin, the crowd that gathered around them encouraged the group to finish them off.

"Beat her down!"

"Make her pay for what she did!"

"The bitch had it coming for a long time!"

Encouraged by the crowd's jeers, the girls prepared to beat Yang senseless, with intent to make her regret thinking of arriving in Mistral, let alone stepping foot on the kingdom's soil. With each step they took towards Yang, the crowd became louder, even throwing trash at her. Yang wanted to get them to stop, but in her state, she couldn't even shout. Closing her eyes, she awaited her impending doom.

"All of you, shut the hell up!"

Her eyes abruptly opened at the sound of an irate voice. Despite her drugged state, the vice sounded familiar to her.

"Hey, watch were you're shoving, pal!"

Pushing his way out of the crowd in the open was a bespectacled young man with light skin, brown eyes and messy fuchsia-colored hair. He wore a white lab coat over a red shirt with a skull logo with two lines crossing it, gray pants and black shoes with red skull decals on them. Upon seeing Yang, he pushed past the girls and rushed towards her.

"Yang? Damn, what happened to you?"

Yang was barely able to keep his eyes open as she saw the man "Ethan? What are you...?"

Ethan lifted Yang onto his back. "Don't worry about why I'm here. I'll take you back to my lab and I'll fix you up."

"Ah, just leave her there!" a voice from the crowed jeered. "It's what she deserves!"

"That's right!" another voice shouted. "She shouldn't get any treatment after what she did in the tournament!"

Ethan grit her teeth at the jeers. "Are you all stupid or something? What happened during the semi-finals was a total joke! This girl was set up! I happen to have proof!"

"As if it matters!" the pinkette sneered. "Regardless of what evidence you give out, no one will think otherwise."

Ethan redirected his scornful gaze at the one responsible for starting the fiasco in the first place. "Yeah? Well, how would you like it if I were to report to the authorities about you drugging a random civilian and preparing to beat her to an inch of her life?"

"Yeah, like that'll happen," the pinkette scoffed.

Ethan smirked as he pulled out a syringe from his coat pocket, the same syringe the girl used to drug Yang. "Are you sure about that?"

Upon seeing the offending object, the pinkette paled. "Wha- where did you get that?"

"I snatched it out of your hand when I walked past you," Ethan said confidently. "You really should keep a better grip on your belongings."

Soon, a group of police officers made their way through the crowd.

"What's going on here?" one of them said.

Ethan turned to the policeman. "Good to see you, officer. Though I wish you had been here long before this fight started, but now that you're here, you can put things to rest."

"What do you mean?" the second officer asked.

Ethan pointed toward the girls with a heated glare. "Those girls picked a fight with my friend here, then the floozie drugged her when she was losing." She handed the policeman the syringe. "This is what she used to drug her."

The policeman stared at the syringe, then at the trio of girls. "Is what he said true?"

The pink-haired thug shirked under his gaze. "W-Well, it's not like we wanted to do it. We were kinda ordered to-"

"Ah, trying to cop out now, are we?" Ethan snapped. "Way too freakin' late for that, you skank! Just lay down and get what's coming to you. Although, I bet you've been doing that your whole life!"

She grit her teeth and glared at Ethan for his remark. "Why you..."

"Please, sir, we can take it from here," the policeman said, lightly pushing Ethan back.

Ethan raised his hands up. "Alright, then." He gestured to Yang, who was still feeling the effects of the drug. "But can you get her to a hospital? I need to know what they hit her with."

"Why is that, sir?"

Ethan adjusted his glasses. "Because I happen to be an accomplished scientist."

The policeman turned to his partner, who shrugged.

"Okay, we'll take your word for it." He turned to his fellow officers. "Aside him in taking the girl to the nearest hospital. And arrest this lot for assault."

"Yes sir!" they all said.

* * *

Yang layed in a hospital bed, fuming over the events that happened in the last half hour. Upon arriving to Mistral, she has been cursed at, scorned, beaten up and to top it all off, drugged. This was turning out to be the worst day of her life, and she was all to eager to take it out on someone.

That is, if she had the strength to get up.

"It's because of what happened during the tournament," she growled. "I was set up and now I'm on everyone's blacklist because it. They even have the nerve to say I was responsible for Beacon's fall. Me! A lone girl being the cause of an academy being overrun by Grimm! How unfair is that?!"

"It's goes beyond unfair, if you ask me."

Ethan shifted the curtain and sat down next to Yang.

"No one should have to go through that," he said. "Framed one moment and having a limb forcefully removed in the next. That's the worst kind of luck anyone can have."

"It's not even the worst part," Yang growled.

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.

Yang released a heavy sigh. "Do you know who cut my arm off?"

Ethan shook his head as he took out a bottle of cola. "No, didn't get a name of who did it to you." He put the bottle to his mouth and began drinking out of it.

"Well, I didn't either," Yang said. "All I know is that he's part of the White Fang."

Hearing that made Ethan spit his drink in shock. "The White Fang? What do they have to do with anything?"

"Right after the Grimm came pouring into Vale, the White Fang took advantage of the chaos and made their way into Beacon. From what I've heard, the guy who did this to me is pretty high up in their ranks."

"Unbelievable," Ethan said, scratching his face. "And you're saying this guy cut your arm off?"

Yang gripped the sheet, growling lightly. "Yeah, but there was a reason why. He lured me out."

"Lured you out?" Ethan repeated. "What do you mean."

"He was hurting a friend," Yang explained. "Though I'd hardly call her a friend anymore, considering she left."

Ethan blinked in bewilderment. "She left?"

"Yep," Yang said bitterly. "I was only trying to protect her, and I lost my arm in the process." She raised her prosthetic, then lowered it. "And what does she give me in return? She leaves without so much as a word."

Ethan sighed. "Man, that's cold. I wouldn't even dream of abandoning someone when they were in need. Whoever this girl was, she ought to burn for what she did."

"I don't care either way," Yang spat. "I don't care where she is or what she's doing. I've had people walk out of my life and I'll be damned if I let them in again."

Ethan tilted his head in intrique. "Let them in again? This isn't the first time someone walked out on you?"

"It isn't," Yang growled. "When I was young, my biological mother left me and my dad. And after the incident at Beacon, my sister left me as well."

Ethan widened his eyes in shock and anger. "First your mother, then your sister? Jeez, what kind of family did you grow up in?"

Yang turned to her side. "I'd rather not talk about it anymore."

Ethan stared at her silently. He had never imagined that Yang has been down a tough road. From parental abandonment, being publicly shamed in a tournment, having her arm cut off and being left behind by her friend and her sister? It was so overwhelming, it was hard to wrap his head around. But like she said, she was in no mood to speak about any longer. So he decided to change the topic.

"Alright, moving on. You'll be happy to know that I researched that drug that loser injected into you," he said.

Yang turned back to him. "Really? What was it?"

"Well, I didn't get the name, but this drug effects those with a lot of aura, making them dizzy and unbalanced," Ethan explained. "It's been made illegal in every kingdom, apart form Vacuo for some reason."

"Why does Vacuo still allow the drug to be spread?" Yang asked.

Ethan shrugged. "Beats me. I try to keep out of the endless labrynth of deceit and contradiction that is better known as politics."

Yang snorted. "Did you come up with that on your own?"

Ethan chuckled. "No, I heard it somewhere while I was giving a speech about technological risks in Atlas." His expression darkened. "A speech that nearly cost my career."

Yang sat up. "Did something happen in Atlas?"

"Yeah... that's something I'd rather not talk about," Ethan said. "Let's get back to the drug."

"Alright," Yang said. "Let's talk about the drug." Her eyes flashed red. "And maybe about those bitches who jumped me."

* * *

 **KS: Well, this is going to escalate sooner or later.**


	12. Chapter 12

**KS: Back for more. Let's see what kind of tricks the group is up to, shall we?**

* * *

The group left the lower levels of Mistral and returned above ground with many questions that they wanted answers to. Like how does a widespread criminal organization gain information about a topic they couldn't care less about. Or what purpose they could have for it. These and many other plagued their minds.

As if he could read the atmosphere, Lilac was the first to speak. "I'm sure you people have a lot of questions-"

"A lot doesn't even begin to cover how many questions we have," Ruby interjected.

Lilac sighed, knowing this was bound to happen. "Regardless, you can trust Astaroth. I've known her for years and she's never the type to give out bogus information."

"Big deal," Nora deadpanned. "You knew her for years and we only met her for a few seconds. For all we know, she probably sent us on some kind hunt where he have to look for something that doesn't exist. I hated those kind of hunts."

"This isn't a snipe hunt," Lilac insisted. "Those coordinates are legitimate to every know degree."

"But how do we know it's real?" Ruby asked again.

Lilac stopped walking, then rubbed his face while sighing once more. "Look, just me on this one, alright? Everything is going to work out."

"I hope so," Ruby sighed.

As the group walked, Jaune noticed the girl her ran into earlier from a distance. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had a feeling that the girl looked familiar.

"Hey, go on ahead," he called out to the group. "I gotta check something."

"What do you need to check?" Nora asked.

Jaune looked back to at the cloaked girl. "I… need to see if they have any fruit."

"Why do you want to get fruit?" Ruby asked. "We brought food on our way here?"

"Yeah, but there's this one fruit I've got my eye on and I got to get it," Jaune replied. "When I get it, I'll meet up with you."

And with that, he began to walk in the opposite in the brisk fashion, much to the confusion of the others.

"Wonder what kind of fruit the kid's got his eye on," Qrow mused.

"Maybe it's a melon the size of a boulder," Nora said, causing everyone to give her skeptic looks. "What? I heard that they grow in Mistral and that they taste good."

Lilac chuckled. "I've seen my fair share of melons, but I doubt they're that big."

Everyone turned to him with an exasperated look.

"What melons are you talking about?" Ren asked.

Lilac continued to chuckle as he scratches his head. "Oh, you know… big, bouncy melons."

Everyone groaned in disgust.

* * *

Jaune swallowed a nervous lump as he see the cloaked girl. He was hoping that this time around, he wouldn't make a complete fool out of himself… but this is Jaune we're talking about here.

"Alright," he said to himself. "Time to make a good first impression. That is, if I can manage it."

He slowly walked towards to where the girl stood, only to stop when he saw the smaller girl walk up to her with a bag of fresh fruit.

"I managed to get some for both of us," she said.

The cloaked girl smiled at the bag. "Wow, that's so nice of you. I don't think I ever met someone who was so nice to me."

The small girl grinned as she shrugged. "Well, I just like doing nice things without expecting anything in return. Let's go visit a koi pond. I heard they're soothing to look at."

"I like the sound of that. Let's go."

The two walked away while holding each others' hands. Jaune sighed heavily as he watch their forms recede with every step they took.

"Without expecting anything in return, huh?" he asked to no one in particular. "Must be nice to be that kind to someone you care about."

* * *

Jaune turned around and walked back to where the team was, each of his steps becoming heavier than the last. Since the events of Beacon, he has changed completely, but none of it was for the better. Hearing about Pyrrha's fate from Ruby shocked him to the core, and it got worse when she handed him her circlet.

This led Jaune to become more distant and cold towards others, especially his own team. Nearing the end of that fateful night, the students were evacuated by Atlesian soldiers, though a lot were injured trying to escape the Grimm. Upon hearing the news about Pyrrha, Ironwood offered his condolences the remains of Team JNPR, but Jaune was hostile to him, telling the general that if had any respect towards Pyrrha, he'd keep her name out of his mouth. Naturally, he was was lambasted for his attitude, but he paid no mind to the criticisms. As far as he was concerned, Ironwood had a hand in Pyrrha's death as much as her killer did.

The group stood under a large arch, waiting for Jaune to return. It didn't take much longer, as Ruby was the first to spot him approaching them.

"Hey, you're back," she said, walking up to him. "Where's the fruit you said you were going to get?"

Jaune sighed heavily and slumped his shoulders. "They were sold out."

"Really?" Nora asked with a sad look. "They sold all of the big melons?"

"Every single one," Jaune lied.

Ren was immediately knew Jaune was lying. He was about to call him out on it, when he felt something cold and hard press against the back of his neck. He theorized that Lilac had his gun out and that he would pull the trigger if he gave him any incentive to.

"If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut," he whispered. "Last thing we want is to cause a commotion in a public area."

Ren didn't need to turn around to know what Lilac's expression was. He could feel the killing intent piercing through his soul. The last thing he wanted was to have his aura wiped out by a point black shot to the neck.

"Alright, if we're done galavanting, we should be getting back," Qrow said, getting everyone's attention. "We need to prepare for this little treasure hunt, and I get the feeling that it won't be easy."

Lilac holstered his pistol in a subtle manner and walked over to Qrow. "Got a point there, man. I happen to have just the place for setting up shop."

* * *

Lilac brought Team RNJR and Qrow to a very lush condominium. All of them were amazed at how clean and regal it looked, despite the surrounding buildings appearing old fashioned.

"Here we are," Lilac announced joyously. "What do you think?"

"I think this place sticks out like a sore thumb," Qrow quipped, breaking the silence.

Lilac chuckled as he lead them through the building. "Yeah, I can't deny that. But it happens to be very popular for people touring or visiting Mistral. Plus, it's affordable, which is another benefit to this joint's popularity."

Everyone looked around the lobby. There was a rest area with a working fountain sculpted in the likeness a Death Stalker, and a stand where bubble tea was served. Immediately, Nora rushed over to the bubble tea stand where Ren quickly followed her, urging her to select something that was low in sugar for obvious reasons.

Jaune opted to sit by himself at the fountain. Ruby quickly sat beside him.

"Jaune, can I ask you something?" she said.

The blond continued to look at the fountain, but he responded. "Sure. What about?"

Ruby sighed heavily. She had to get something off her chest and now seemed like a good time to do it.

"Do you… do you blame me for what happened to Pyrrha?"

And there it was. The one subject Jaune hoped would never be brought up. He had been through this a few times with Ren, one of which resulted in a brief altercation that attracted more than a few Grimm, but now Ruby popped the question and he racked his brain for answer.

"I… don't blame you for what happened to Pyrrha, Ruby," he said. "In fact, if she was still with us, she'd bop me on the head for thinking of such a ridculous notion." He turned to her and made an attempt to smile. Underline 'attempt.' "You don't have to worry about me. Everything is fine."

Ruby gave her own smile and nodded. "Okay then. Thanks for hearing me out."

She got up headed towards Lilac, who was chatting with the receptionist. As she got out of earshot, Jaune sighed in relief.

"Glad that's over," he said. "I can finally put that whole mess behind me now."

Little did Jaune know, that one sentence would be his undoing.

"You know, I've come across some liars in my time, but you've got to be the absolute worst of them."

The blunt and cold tone of voice snapped Jaune to attention. He looked to his left to see Qrow standing next him, his face strewn with anger and disappointment.

"What are you talking about-"

Qrow slammed his fist into the support behind Jaune, shocking him into silence.

"Look kid, they might be fooled this poorly-constructed façade of yours, but I know a rat when I smell one." He roughly poked Jaune in chest. "And yours smells like it's been dead for half a month."

Jaune inwardly groaned. As if Ren being on his case wasn't enough, now Qrow is the one grilling him.

"Wipe that look of your mug," he hissed. "I heard from Lilac about the little tiff you had with that other kid." He gestured towards Ren, who was buying bubble tea for Nora. "And on my way to where you were, I noticed some Grimm making a break for whatever caught their interest." He leaned closer until his face was inches away fron Jaune's. "And guess what? I was told that the giant get-together was due to two people unable to settle their differences like civilized men."

At this rate, Jaune couldn't tell which about the veteran huntsman was unbearable: the piercing look he had or the lingering stench of alcohol that hung on every word he spoke.

"Uncle Qrow! Lilac managed to get us the master suite! He's got a lot of connections!"

"Hey, keep it down! No one needs to hear about them!"

Qrow stood up and turned to Ruby and Lilac, where the latter had the redhead in a headlock in an attempted to silence her. He chuckled at the sighed and walked off, but not before giving Jaune one last glare. He sighed, knowing full well what he said through those eyes.

 _This topic is far from over. Get that in your head before I drill it in there._

"…I'm not that transparent, am I?"

* * *

Weiss was amazed at her new surroundings. She had read books and brochures related to Mistral, but she never once had the privilege of being in the kingdom itself. The structures, the people, even the atomsphere was a breath of fresh air, pardon the pun. A complete contrast to the oppressive and domineering vibe Atlas gave off.

"This is wonderful," she said to herself. "I feel like I'm in a whole new world."

"Hey, kid. Don't get too lost in the sights."

Weiss turned around and saw Humo walking up to her, carrying the assassin in tow.

"Once I turn this girl in, we can take a look around. But I need to bring her to my employer or I'll never get a paycheck."

Weiss nodded. "Very well. Though if it is not too much to ask, who is your employer?"

Humo chuckled. "Good question. If I'm being honest, my employer is part of a large group that is well-known throughout Mistral."

"Care to elaborate?" Weiss asked.

Humo adjusted his hat before speaking. "Have you heard of the Ars Goetia?"

* * *

 **KS: Boy, Weiss going to fly into interrogation mode at the sound of that. Given the influence of her family company (though I doubt it can be refered to as such any longer, considering who's running it now), I'm sure the name came up a few times. Anyway, that's all I have for tonight. I'll see you all another time.**


	13. Chapter 13

**KS: Okay, I have returned from an indirect exile and have now turned 21. Not much to be excited about being another year older, honestly. My driver's licence is set to expire once the new year rolls in, even though I haven't used it other than identification, but I'm not here to bore you with my life story. I finally got out of my slump and got something posted. Enjoy.**

* * *

The words that came out of the man's mouth nearly made Weiss' heart stop beating. "Ars Goetia" continued to ring through her ears, as if the name was familiar to her.

"Hey kid," Humo said, poking her head. "What are you doing, spacing out like that?"

Weiss blinked a few times, then shook her head rapidly to bring recompose herself.

"Forgive me, what were you saying just now?" she said.

"I was asking you if you've heard of the Ars Goetia," Humo replied.

Hearing it twice didn't shock Weiss, so she was able to answer his question.

"The name has come up more than a few times," she said. "One of the largest criminal organizations to be founded in Mistral, it has taken over many businesses, both legal and illicit through any means necessary. Public opinion suggests that they obtain said businesses though coersion or destruction of property, but they fancy themselves as a dignified organization."

Humo nodded. "Go on."

"They are also in direct competition with the SDC," Weiss continued. "Namely, the production of Dust. The Ars Goetia has managed to set up multiple Dust manufacturing plants away from the public eye in fear of authorities discovering their operations. Rumors state that production originates in Vacuo, then it is shipped off by cartels who-"

Humo quickly covered Weiss' mouth, preventing her from speaking any further.

"Okay, you've done your homework. Impressive, but you may want to keep from speaking out too loud. Information like that could end up in the wrong hands and it's a mess no one wants to clean up."

Weiss moved his hand from her mouth, allowing her speak once more. "But wouldn't the Ars Goetia be able to handle it? Given that it's a sizable organization, one would think that they have the police on their side."

"Yeah, you would think that," Humo sighed. "But the cops around here care more for moral codes than quick profit. Luckily, the Ars Goetia are very good at covering their tracks. Unlike our little assailant over here."

Weiss almost forgot that he was carrying the woman who made an attempt on her life. "Oh, her. What will happen to her once you hand her over to your employer?"

Humo shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. For all I know, they might torture her for more information on what the Fang's next move will be now that Beacon's been dealt with."

The mention of Beacon made Weiss fell cold inside. The devestating and tragic events that occurred that night still lingered within her, the most horrible part being her forcibly seperated from her team. The memory still ran through her mind like a broken recording.

Humo noticed Weiss was spacing out and tapped her head a few times. "Hey, you doin' alright in there?"

Upon feeling the taps, Weiss gasped and turned to him, looking somewhat annoyed. "Why did you do that?"

"You went silent on me," Humo replied. "I just was just making sure you weren't falling asleep while standing up. I admit that's a skill only precious few have, but I doubt you would be the type to have it. Especially with your chosen footwear.

Weiss looked down at her dress heels, then looked back Humo with a slight glare. "Well, pardon me for looking elegant. I assume dress heels aren't as dignified as…" She looked at Humo's attire from top to bottom, then turns away while crossing her arms. "…Boots."

"I'm practical, sweetheart," Humo chuckled.

Weiss huffed. "Whatever. Can we move on now?"

* * *

"I expected more from whoever hired you," Weiss sighed, staring at the stone door with distaste.

"Come on," Humo replied. "Haven't you heard the saying 'appearance isn't everything'? Actually, strike that. From what I've gathered, Atlesians care more about appearances than they do breathing."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the remark. "That is a poor generalization."

"Is it any less true?" Humo asked.

Weiss bit her lip and sighed miserably. "I suppose not."

"Ah, don't beat yourself up about it. There are certain aspects of the place people grew up in that they'd rather not admit."

Weiss held back the urge to sigh. "Just get the door open. My patience is bordering on anorexic at this point."

Humo placed his hand on the door for a few seconds, then it decended into the ground, revealing a long hallway with statues of various Grimm on either side. Weiss couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock.

"This… this is something that words fail to describe," she said.

"The words will come in time," Humo replied, walking into the hall.

Weiss stared into the passageway, then followed Humo into it. She was unable to take her eyes off of the statues, noting that a lot of time and dedication was taken into sculpting them to make them appear like the real thing.

"These statues are impressive," she said. "I wonder who made them."

"I am afraid that is information beyond your reach," a cold voice replied.

Weiss turned to see a woman in business attire standing in front of her and Humo.

"Greetings, Blanco. I trust your job went well?"

Humo dropped Marron on the ground in front of the woman. "What do you think?"

The woman smirked. "I think you exceeded our expectations as usual." Her smirk faded upon seeing Weiss. "We did not know you would be bringing a guest."

"Oh, almost forgot," Humo said. "This little lady here is Weiss Schnee."

The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Schnee? As in… the Schnee Dust Company?"

Weiss did not say a word. Judging from the woman's expression, she was all set to kill her should she say something that would trigger her.

"Hey, Astaroth," Humo said. "You might want to tone it down a bit. You're scaring the girl."

"Maybe I want to scare her," she hissed. "This… wench is the scion to the most contemptable organization next to the White Fang. If I were ordered to, I would kill her and deliver her head to her father's doorstep."

Weiss was genuinely afraid of the woman. She slowly reached for Myrtenaster, prepared to counter in case she would be attacked. The atmosphere was beyond palpable, making it hard for her to breath. She could feel the sweat dripping from her pores.

"Aw, what's with this sour attitude of yours, Asta? I like it better when you smile."

The atmosphere suddenly changed when a young man with a huge grin walked up to the woman from behind and glomped her.

"Wha- Sitri, what are you doing?!"

"I'm cheering my favorite girl up!" he replied, poking her cheek. "Honestly, how many times have I told you? You'll get wrinkles making faces that aren't cheerful."

"S-Shut up! How I present my facial features is none of your concern!" the woman snapped in a flustered tone.

"But it is my concern!" he replied in a dramatic tone. "How can I live with my lovely Asta looking like a hag?"

"I'll kill you, you insolent-!"

The sound a cough interrupted the exchange between the duo. Both of them looked towards Weiss and Humo, where the former appeared justifiably bewildered by what she witnessed.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself!" the man said in a cheerful tone. "My name is Salmon Sitri, a member of the Ars Goetia. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Weiss was unable to find her voice due to the young man's attire. A bright pink tank top with insignia resembling seven swords crossing each other and white pants with stitches in them. On top of that, he wore black boots with small chains used as the laces. But to Weiss, the one thing she couldn't take her eyes off of was his spiky pink hair and green eyes, followed by a tattoo on his neck resembling devil wings.

"Yeah, I don't blame you for not saying anything," Humo whispered. "Sitri tends to dress extravagantly, regardless of what season it is. He's known to be a fashion anarchist of sorts."

"If you want my opinion, anarchist seems to be laying it a tad thick," Weiss replied dryly.

The bespectacled woman cleared her throat, drawing all attention to her. "Anyway Humo, you are certain this is the woman that we have requested?"

"My certainty is as accurate as my aim, Astaroth." Humo replied. "Although, I may have relieved her of one of her wings, if that will be an issue later on."

"None at all," she replied before turning to Weiss with a look of distain. "I suppose I should introduce myself to you, not that it should matter."

Weiss couldn't help but find the woman's tone to be grating. Honestly, she expected this kind of treatment since she is, as the woman claimed, "the scion to the most contemptable organization next to the White Fang", though she felt that last part was a bit of an exaggeration. She was not blind to the less than upstanding practices of the SDC, but at least they were not indiscriminately murdering people. Not directly, anyway.

"My name is Schokolade Astaroth, a supervisor of the activities of the Ars Goetia."

Astaroth bowed slightly, not wanting to look at Weiss anymore than she has to.

"Pleased to meet you," the heiress replied, giving a slight bow of her own.

"Now that's what I like to see!" Sitri said cheerfully, bringing the two women in for a hug. "I love it when a pair of lovely women greet each other without any vitriol exchanged."

Weiss struggled to escape his surprisingly tight grasp. She had no idea that a man with such a… unique fashion sense could have a near-suffocating hold.

"Hey Sitri," Humo said, getting his attention. "Could you let go of the girls now? They look like they're losing oxygen."

"We are losing oxygen, you twit," Astaroth hissed, hitting Sitri's arm in hopes he'll let go.

Sitri finally let go, allowing Weiss and Astaroth to take in oxygen. Once they have regained it, Astaroth tackled Sitri to the floor and began to strangle him. Weiss just stood there, watching the scene with a dumbfounded look plastered on her face.

"Hey, why don't you go on ahead and look around?"

Weiss turned to Humo, who set down Marron against a wall.

"I'll deal with these two," he said. "You take some time off and get a feel for this place. Who knows? It may interest you."

Weiss had to admit that the design of the complex was intriguing. She could see that a lot of care and dedication was put into the statues' development. In addition, the hallway had vibrant colors and designs, giving it a royal feel. If Weiss was being honest, she would love to explore some more on her own.

"Very well. I shall take a look around and see this place for myself."

Humo waved in response as he pride Astaroth off of Sitri, who sighed in relief.

"Go on now," he said. "Don't let me keep you."

With that, Weiss went off to explore the hideout, interested in what it has to offer.

* * *

The heiress' first stop was a large bathing room, which had a statue fountain. The roof was open, allowing steam to rise up from the water. Weiss was tempted to stick her foot in to see just how warm it was, but quickly decided against it.

"I'll visit this place some other time. I want to explore this place a little more."

She walked the bathing area, but right after she left, a young woman emerged from the water, clad in a teal one-piece swimsuit. Both her alabaster skin and radiant veridian hair was soaked, but it only added to her beauty. With piercing orange eyes, she stared at the door Weiss used to exit the room.

"It looks like that Schnee got lost and made her way to our hideout," she said distainfully. "Looks like I'll have to personally escort her from the premises. And I'll make sure she gets so badly bruised that coming back here will be the farthest thing from her stupid mind."

She snapped her fingers and more women emerged from the pool, but they were much different than the one who signalled them to appear. Each of them had scales on their arms and legs along with slit pupils in their eyes.

The leader grew a cruel smile. "Let's break this icicle."

* * *

 **KS: Seems like Weiss is in for some more trouble up ahead. But we'll get back to her another time. We'll see how Blake is holding up in the next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

**KS:** **(sighs) The V6 premiere is tomorrow. I have not written another bit of this since it's announcement. Although, I've been inspired to write some more after reading spoilers from wiki and an undying determination to present this alternate path from V3 continued to burn within my soul. Therefore, I persevered and wrote another chapter. With this, I hope to get out of the rut I unwittingly put myself in.**

* * *

Blake sat across from the armored mercenary, still wary of what her intentions are. She claimed that she had knowledge of what the White Fang's planned to do next, but she was still unable to shake the feeling that she being led on. In addition, her expression was unreadable. She casually sipped her mug without looking at her.

"You know, I don't think we've introduced ourselves."

Blake flinched from the woman suddenly speaking after an hour of deafening silence.

"My name is Kana Pourpre," she said. "I'm a mercenary working for Grimoire."

"I'm Blake Belladonna. A former student at Beacon Academy."

Kana's ears perked up at the mention of the academy. "Beacon, huh? I knew someone who used to go there. I haven't heard from him in a long time."

"Does he have a name?" Blake asked. "I might have heard of him at some point."

"Nah, he's not the type who likes to stand out," Kana said. "He fancies himself as some type of loner. You might get along with him, though. You've got the whole loner thing down pat."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "Was that meant to be a compliement?"

Kana shrugged. "Nah, I'm just making a point. But we're getting off topic-"

"I doubt we were even on the topic considering how quiet you've been for the last half-hour," Blake snarked.

Kana glared at her. "Oh please, like you were any louder than I was. In fact, I bet you've spent your whole life keeping quiet, like some sniveling little coward."

And there it was. That one word Blake absolutely loathed hearing, but could not find it within her to deny the cold, hard truth.

 _Coward._

It rang through both sets of her ears like a bell signalling a person's final moments. It washed over her body like a violent wave enveloping a small boat unfortunate enough to be in its wake. It burned through her heart like an arrow made from pure fire. In short, the word brought out every negative emotion Blake had bottled up inside of her.

"Do not… call me that."

Kana tiled her head. "What was that? Speak up, I couldn't-"

Blake slammed her fist on the table, causing her glass to tip over and the milk to spill all over.

"I don't need a damn reminder! I know I'm a coward! I abandoned everyone I cared about for a stupid reason that nobody will understand, even if I explain it full detail! But you know what? I don't even care! I plan to rid myself of that title by dealing with the person who made me this way!"

Kana stared at Blake with a gaped expression, watching as the younger woman breathed heavily at the end of her rant.

"Well damn," she muttered. "I had no idea the word alone was enough to set you off."

Upon realizing her outburst, Blake gasped and lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."

Kana waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have pushed your buttons like that."

"Yeah, that's our Kana! She doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut!"

One of the armored mercenaries laughed at the remark while Kana grit her teeth in frustration.

"Ignore them," she hissed. "They have too much booze in their system to know when to shut up themselves."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be real close with them."

"Yeah, you could say that," Kana sighed. "I've been in the same squad with those morons for at least five years now. But not a lot of people in this day and age have heard of Grimoire."

"Why not?" Blake asked.

Kana leaned towards her. "Have you ever read a fantasy novel?"

Blake nodded, prompting her to continue.

"Then you probably know what a grimoire is. A book containing text that is long forgotten, never to be read by anyone."

Blake blinked at her. "Is that what you believe?"

"It was what we were told when we joined," Kana answered, noticing the strange look on Blake's face. "Why?"

Blake shook her head. "Whoever told you that must not be an avid reader. A grimoire is a textbook containg a numerous magic spells and can only be read by one who is proficient in magic."

Kana sighed and crossed her arms. "Great. I was under the impression that grimoires were books of ineligible text and that only a chosen few were capable of reading them. I swear, I'm gonna knock out the teeth of whoever told me that."

Blake couldn't help but chuckle at how a skilled mercenary could be so gullible at times. The purple-haired woman had an air around her that made her serious and imposing, but seeing her be flustered over the misconception of what her organization's name meaning made the young huntress feel at ease.

"Okay, that's enough friendly banter," Kana said. "Let's get down to brass tacks."

"Are you sure you don't to talk about anything else you might have been lied to about?" Blake asked jokingly.

Kana huffed in frustration. "As I was saying, I need you to find a certain item for us. Once you get it and hand it over, we'll clue you in on what the White Fang plan to do next."

In times where one offers handout in any form, it is considered impolite to look a gift horse in the mouth. But in these times, Blake couldn't help but do so. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"

"What, you think I'm lying about the intel?" Kana asked defensively. "If I was lying, I could have sent you off to some random spot that is lousy with Grimm and be done with it."

Blake narrowed her eyes even more. "What's stopping you from doing so?"

Both of them stared intensely at each other, attempting to read their intentions through facial movements.

"Hey, let us know if you two are gonna make out at some point. We're waiting on some tongue fencing over here."

Without looking at the heckler, Kana gripped the mug and threw it in his direction. The mug hit his head and shattered on impact, knocking him out instantly.

"You're paying for that," the barkeep said nonchalantly.

"Whatever," Kana replied dryly.

Blake mentally stopped herself from gaping at what she just witnessed. "Was that really necessary?"

"It was that or slitting his throat wide open," Kana answered. "Personally, I'm in no mood to clean up any more than I have to."

Blake sighed and shook her head. "Can we get back to what we were talking about?"

Kana nodded. "Sure. So, about the object…"

* * *

Blake looked around the interior of the vehicle she was riding in. Beside her was a man sharpening his sword while checking out his reflection. Giving a grunt of satisfaction, he continued to sharpen the blade. Sitting in the seat across from her was a woman wearing a sunglasses who stared at without saying a word. Blake couldn't help but find the woman's gaze unnerving.

"She's probably anti-faunus for all I know," she muttered. "Wouldn't surprise me if she was."

The drive went on for at least an hour. Blake was not sure if she should say something to lighten the mood, but quickly realized that she was not the mood-lightening type. That position was better reserved for…

"No… I can't think about her now," she said to herself. "Not after what I did. But I need to deal with this now or I'll won't have any peace of mind."

Blake suddenly jolted to the left as the vehicle made a sudden stop. She found herself in the lap of the man who was checking out his reflection.

"Well now, I didn't think I was attractive to make you fall on my lap," he said teasingly. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

Feeling uneasy, Blake quickly stood up and got out of the heavily armored vehicle. Feeling the solid ground beneath her feet made her stretch out and sigh in relief.

"I'm glad that's over," she said. "Any longer and I would be vibrating like a broken scroll."

She looked at the cavern in front of her. The entrance was ominous enough, but the inside was so dark, she could barely see through it, despite her naturally enhanced vision.

"I wonder if I'm going to find it in there."

Coming out of the driver's seat was Kana, who had a wide grin on her face.

"I hope you didn't get carsick on the way here," she joked. "This old thing is a little rough on the terrain, but damn anyone who says she can't get you anywhere."

"Judging from all the bumps I felt, I doubt nausea would be on my list of problems at the moment," Blake quipped dryly.

Kana laughed in response. "Wow, you're a real charmer, Belladonna. Boys must fall at your feet anytime you work your verbal magic."

"I'm not into anyone at the moment," Blake quickly said.

Kana raised a brow. "Are you sure?"

Blake gave her an unamused look. "Do I look like I'm seeking any romantic relationships?"

Kana stared at her for a moment, then burst in a fit of laughter, much to Blake's annoyance.

"What's so funny now?"

Kana wiped a tear from her eye as she finished laughing. "You. You're what's so funny."

Blake's annoyed look quickly gave way to one of disbelief. "How am I funny?"

"It's just… you've got the whole brooding loner vibe going for you, but somehow, every sarcastic remark you make comes out of pure comedy gold. Have you ever thought of doing stand up?"

Blake sighed. "You know, I'm starting to think that your teammates don't like you."

"What?" Kana exclaimed in shock. "What gives you that impression?"

Blake turned to her with a blank look. "You talk too much."

Kana's eye brow twitched in frustration. "I do not talk that much, you witless, milk-sucking, dot-chasing punk."

"Milk-sucking? Really?" Blake let out a dry chuckle. "I was sure you had something more original."

Kana threw her arms up. "Okay, enough with the banter. Now, I brought you here because I need you to retrieve a dagger from that cave."

Blake looked towards the cave in question, then turned to Kana. "That cave?"

"That's the one," Kana answered.

"Why don't you send some of your own to get it?"

Kana scratched the back of her head. "We did, actually. A long time ago, we sent one of our guys to get the thing, but he never returned. So we sent someone else to find him, but she didn't come back either. We sent some others afterwards, and- well, you get the picture."

"I do," Blake replied. "But if that's the case, what do you need me for?"

"Well, faunus are supposed to see really well in the dark from what I've been told," Kana said, looking away. "But I didn't bother asking the faunus we had with us in fear of looking like I'm being insensitive."

"Insentitive how?" Blake asked.

"I didn't want them to think we were using them just for their quirks," Kana explained. "You might not know this, but we've seen a lot of faunus be exploited for their natural talents and cast off once their usefulness runs out. One guy was pissed at the atrocity that he nearly beat a guy some guy to death for holding a girl with wolf ears on a short leash. It was tragic."

Blake looked down and gripped clenched her fists. She was all too familiar of the horror story of faunus unfortunate enough to become ensalved being discarded by their masters anytime they are no longer useful.

"But anyway, that's enough reminicing on bad thoughts," Kana said, changing her solemn tone to a professional one. "The object you are seeking in the cave is a dagger."

Blake looked at her curiously. "What kind of dagger is it?"

"I'm glad you asked," Kana said. "Rumor has it that this particular dagger allows the user to manipulate darkness. It probably explains why it's stashed in such a dark place."

"Does it gain its power from being in the dark?" Blake asked.

Kana nodded. "It sure does. Bright lights will weaken its effects, but complete darkness can make the powers go haywire. There needs to be balance between the two."

"Okay then," Blake said. "I've heard what I needed to know."

She stepped towards the cave, but Kana stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"What is it?"

With a smug grin, Kana handed a flashlight to Blake. "You weren't really going to go in there with no light, were you?"

Blake was confused. "But you said-"

"I know what I said," Kana interrupted, but at times like this, there's no shame in being cautious."

Blake took the flashlight from her. "You can be a real pest at times, you know."

"I know," Kana said. "Now get in there and get the dagger."

Blake shook her head and walked into the cave. Turning on the flashlight, she made her way though the dark passage. Little did she know, she would not only face the darkness of the cavern, but the darkness within her heart as well.

* * *

 **KS: Let's hope Blake doesn't get lost in the caves finding the dagger. Thankfully, she has been provided a flashlight to help find her away around. Speaking of light, we're gonna take a look at how Yang is holding up. Expect to see her sometime in the next two weeks.**


	15. Chapter 15

**KS: Now, when I wrote this chapter, I began to think to myself: "do I want Yang to be miserable and vengeful through the entirety of the fanfic?" And my answer was no. I'll be honest, when I first started this concept on Deviantart, I wanted Yang to be boiling with hatred, focusing on nothing but the people that wrong her. But recently, I decided to change that, just a bit. There's enough characters in anime who are revenge driven (*cough*Sasuke*cough*) and I don't feel the need to add to that list. Enjoy the fic.**

* * *

Yang miserably laid in the hospital bed, reminiscing on the moments that brought her to her current condition. The first was during the Vytal Festival, where she was somehow manipulated into attacking a student on national television. Not only was her team disqualified for the remainder of the competition, but she was now deemed a savage to the general public, inside and out of Vale.

The second was during the fall of Beacon. While fending off minions of the White Fang, she saw Blake being attacked by one of their members. Blinded by rage, she charged toward the offender, only to have her arm cut off in the process.

The third point was what she considered to be the worst of all. After she regained consciousness, Yang learned that Blake disappeared while she was out. She didn't even say goodbye or leave a note. She just left. To say Yang was wounded would be nothing short of an understatement. Losing her arm was bad enough, but now her teammate left her with no explanation.

And now, she finds herself in a hospital, waiting for the medicine that will cure her of the drug she was forcefully given during her fight with the girls who attacked her. Honestly, she thought it couldn't get worse.

"What's taking him so long?" she muttered. "I've been in this damn bed for over an hour and I've gotten no word from him." She clenched her metallic hand in frustration. "I swear, someone up there likes making me suffer."

Soon, the door opened, revealing Ethan holding a vial of clear liquid in his hand.

"Guess who's getting an antitote?" he said in a cheerful tune.

"Oh, I don't know," Yang said dryly. "Probably some moron who stood too close to a rapier wasp nest and paid for it?"

The scientist let out a chuckle as she kneeled next to her. "No, all he needs is some salve and he'll be good to go. But for you…" He waved the vial in her face. "This should kill the drug from the inside."

"How did you get it?" Yang asked.

"Well, the cops allowed me to analyze the syringe that had faint traces of the drug those harpies hit you with," Ethan explained. "Turns out that the main ingredient is a liquid extract from a plant grown in Mistral. It's been used for medical purposes like muscle relaxant gel. But somehow, the mixture has been tampered with."

Yang sat up, interested in what he had to say. "Tampered with? What are you talking about?"

Ethan sighed and took of his glasses. "The cops allowed me to assist with their interrogation of the girls who jumped you. It took an hour and a half to get any honest words out of them, but we finally got information."

"What did you get?" Yang asked.

A grim look crossed Ethan's face. "They said they used nanobots in the drug."

Yang gasped in shock. "Nanobots? I have nanobots inside of me?"

"In a way, yeah," Ethan answered. "There about fifty of them that quickly entered your bloodstream along with the drug. The bots spread the drug within your body, giving you a dizzy feeling. And if the statement I received from those girls is anything to go on, it really does affect those with high aura reserves."

Yang was internally fuming at that point. It wasn't enough that she was attacked for an incident she had no control of. Now she was drugged by no-name miscreants just for salt the wound. She clenched her fists in boilng anger and lowered her head.

"Did you get a name out of them?"

Ethan was surprised by the brawler's shift in tone. "You want the names of those punks?"

Yang raised her head, her now red eyes glaring straight into Ethan's brown ones.

"I want. A name," she growled.

Ethan inhaled sharply, then released it. "Okay. I got some names, but their ringleader goes by the name Plague Blossom. She's renowned for her skills as an assassin in Mistral's underworld and has potential clients on speed dial."

"You have got to be kidding me," Yang said, breathing heavily.

Ethan scoffed. "I wish. Her methods of neutralizing her targets involve multiple uses of poison. She puts it in foods, drinks, even on her own lips." He noticed the look of disbelief Yang had. "Yeah, I know. She makes sure not to lick her lips lest she be claimed by her own weapon."

"Do her cronies follow the same way?" Yang asked.

Ethan shook his head. "No, they each have their own way of killing off their prey. But they're not to be underestimated." He stood up and stretched his arms, sighing heavily. "I wonder if those people knew they were cheering on trained killers to beat up one girl. It's pitiful."

Yang sighed. "I don't even care anymore. If they want to throw stones at me, then let 'em. I'm not in the business for striking down defenseless people."

"Kind of ironic, considering what happened during the tournament," Ethan remarked, earning an annoyed glare from Yang. "Too soon?"

"Way too soon."

Ethan shrugged. "Alright. I've taken enough of your time." He handed Yang the vial. "Drink every drop of it and the effects of the drug should wear off in the next half hour."

Yang took the vial out of his hands, her eye color returning to purple. "And the nanobots?"

"That will require a more advanced method of treatment," Ethan answered. "Once you got that drug out of your system, meet me outside and I'll take you to my lab."

"You have a lab?" Yang said with interest.

"I sure do," Ethan replied, rising up from his seat. "And let me tell you, it makes what Atlas has look like it came out of middle school."

Yang stared at him with curiousity. "You really have it out for Atlas, don't you?"

Ethan chuckled mirthlessly. "A bit. But there's one guy in particular that I feel needs to be taken down a few pegs. And what happened in Vale is just the the beginning of his downfall."

Yang had a good idea of who Ethan was referring to, but she decided to leave the issue alone for now.

"Anyway, take the vial, sleep for a bit, and meet me next your motorcycle," Ethan said. "By the way, I love the design and function of it. Did you make it yourself?"

Yang let out a rare smirk, one that she never had since that fateful night. "Yeah, I did. It was hard, but I managed to get it to work. After the first five times it broke down."

Ethan smirked in response. "I've been there. I made a customized drone that broke down when I first tested it out. But after making some adjustments, it works like a charm. It just goes to show that machines will always need improvement, no matter how good they work. The same applies with humans and faunus."

Yang chuckled. "Are you sure you're not a professor at an academy or something?"

"Nope," Ethan said, walking towards the door. "I'm just your average scientist with more ideas than he can keep track of."

He walked out of the room, leaving Yang alone with he thoughts.

"Improvement, huh?" she looked down the arm Ethan provided her with. "Maybe I can improve on my fighting. The last thing I want is to go down the way I did again."

She removed the lid of the vial and drank its contents until it was empty. Sighing, she tossed the vial in the garbage and laid in her bed.

"One day, I'll find the strength I need to take him down."

* * *

 **KS: Yang's getting motivated now. She still has one goal in mind, but she's being realistic about it. Let's she'll keep the drive long enough to each it. On a side note, there's a poll that I would love for you to check out. Have a good night, everyone.**


	16. Chapter 16

**KS: Alright, courses are done for the time being, so I can regain my focus on writing. Let's see what the crew is up to this time, shall we?**

* * *

"Here we are, be it so humble."

Lilac unlocked the door to the apartment and allowed the others to walk inside. To say they were amazed would be nothing short of an understatement.

It was a large room with a stairway leading to the second floor and had a large sofa in the center of the room with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh… I think I have witnessed heaven," Nora swooned.

"This is just the main room," Lilac said as he walked in. "Wait until you see the kitchen. That bad boy has all the utensils to make a meal fit for a king… except I can't cook."

"What's the point of having a kitchen if you can't cook?" Ren asked.

Lilac chuckled nervously. "I… I have to impress the girls that come by here."

Everyone gave him a blank look.

"I don't think I've ever heard something this pitiful," Qrow deadpanned. "And I've been in every backwater pub this kingdom has to offer, hearing some sob story no one should have to give a one-tenth of a damn about."

Lilac let out a slight growl. "Yeah? Well, I don't see any dames falling into your lap. Although, it wouldn't be surprising, considering you reek of malt liquor."

"Shut up, I don't smell like that," Qrow snapped.

"Yeah, he's only like that on a bad day!" Ruby defended.

Hearing that made Qrow slump. "Way to stick up for me, kid."

Jaune walked around the main room, taking in the sights. "How did you pay for this? It doesn't look cheap."

"That's because it wasn't cheap," Lilac sighed. "One of the top dogs in the Ars Goetia put a ridiculous price for this room. It nearly took every single lien I shook out of people to pay for it."

"Wow, that guy must be a total greedmonger," Nora snarked.

"Oh, you have no idea," Lilac chuckled. "In fact, his whole business focuses on exploiting the greedy nature of most people. Did you know he runs an underground casino in Atlas?"

Qrow perked up at the reveal. "Shut up. I've never heard anything about a casino in Atlas."

Lilac scoffed as he placed his guns on a table. "Obviously not. It wouldn't be underground if the whole kingdom heard about it. And you can bet the army will come knocking down the doors and arresting anyone who so much as steps one foot in the joint when it happens."

Ruby walked over to the table and took a closer look at his guns. "These look amazing. From a distance, they look like ordinary pistols, but up close, there's something unique about them."

"Yeah, those bad boys are custom made," Lilac said as he took off his jacket and threw it on the sofa. "In fact, I made it myself."

Hearing that made Ruby's eyes sparkle. "You made these yourself? Oh my gosh, that is amazing! What kind of dust does it use for the ammo? How fast is the firing rate? How did you make that light appear from the ground?"

"Geez, you're full of questions, aren't you?" Lilac chuckled. "They're all good, but I'm kinda tired from walking for long distances and fighting a horde of Grimm on my lonesome."

The mention of the Grimm made Jaune and Ren flinch out of guilt, considering their argument was the reason for the large amount of Grimm showed up in the first place.

"In any case, I'll let you check out the place yourself." Lilac rose some the sofa and walked towards the stairs. "I'm gonna get some shut eye."

"You didn't look that tired," Nora said.

Lilac turned back to her. "I assure you that I am mentally and physically drained right now. And with that, I bid you all adieu."

He walked up the stairs while whistling a cheerful tune.

"That guy is weird," Jaune said to everyone in the room. "And I don't say that because he made his guns appear out of nowhere."

"Now that you mention it, it was weird kind of odd," Ruby said. "How was he able to that? Is that his Semblance?"

"If it is, Weiss won't be happy that someone is biting her style," Nora joked. "I saw those glyphs of his. The pattern may be different, but the similarity is there."

"A Semblance that summons weapons? Anyone who has that kind of power could be unstoppable," Ren mused. "Or at the very least, they have a big ego."

Qrow was silent during the banter, something Ruby was quick to notice.

"Uncle Qrow? What's wrong?"

He look up at her with a serious expression. "I don't think we should trust this guy."

The rest of RNJR looked at him curiously.

"What? Why not?" Nora asked.

"I'm you kids have heard the phrase 'with every light, there's a shadow'," he said. "Well, I can say with the utmost confidence that Mistral is the embodiment of that old saying. It's got some nice places and friendly people, but a lot of it is just a veil to hide it's… less than reputable spots and individuals. And this group that pretty boy is running with is no exception to that fact."

"You're saying we shouldn't trust Lilac because he's part of a crime syndicate," Ren said.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't trust him because he's part of a crime syndicate," Qrow responded, his expression growing more dire. "I'm saying we shouldn't trust him because he's part of the largest and most deadly crime syndicates in this kingdom, if not the whole world."

Ruby had a look of worry on her face, as did everyone else.

"This group he works for, is it that bad?" the redhead asked.

Qrow took out his flask and drank from it before speaking. "I'll admit, I've learned enough about the 72 Pillars through word of mouth, and it is far from pretty. Extortion, blackmail, the list goes on from that point onward."

The group of fledgling hunters were silent, letting his words sink in.

"Do you think the lady we met earlier was lying about the Spring Maiden?" Nora asked.

"I've thought of the possibility, but it's too early to say for certain," Qrow answered. "For all we know, she does have info about where she was last seen, but doesn't trust us enough to use that info without any ill intent."

"So this treasure hunt she sent us on is to test us on whether or not we're worthy of the information," Ren said. "I have to say, that's quite an ingenious way of doing it."

"Yeah, right," Nora scoffed. "Maybe she's just getting us to do the Pillars dirty work. Which reminds me, what does a crime group want with a ruin, anyway? Wouldn't be more suited towards treaure hunters or something?"

Sighing, Qrow sat down on an armchair. "Whatever that broad's reason is for delegating the task to us doesn't really matter. For now, we should be grateful she has info on the Spring Maiden."

"Assuming she's not lying about it," Jaune said.

"There's that," Qrow admitted. "But at this rate, she's all we have to go on."

Ruby rubbed the back of her head and sighed in frustration. "This is one of those 50/50 deals isn't it? We get the thing from the ruin and bring it to the lady, and she tells where the Spring Maiden is. That is, if she knew to begin with."

"Aghhh! This is making my head hurt!" Nora groaned. "I need to eat something good to take my mind off it this racket!"

"Maybe there's some food in the kitchen," Ren said. "I could make something for all of us."

"Good," Nora said, snapping her fingers. "Now get to it. Your queen demands sustenance."

Ren let out a slight chuckle and headed towards the kitchen. Ruby smiled at the interaction between the two, but it quickly faded when her gaze fell on Jaune, who looked out the window with a solemn look.

"It will work out," she said to herself. "I know it will."

* * *

Lilac laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling fan as it spun around at a moderate speed. He started to contemplate on his next move while watching the fan rotate.

"I've come this far," he said. "All I got to is take them to the ruin, and they'll help me find the artifact. Once that's over and done with, they can take it to Astaroth and get information on whoever they're looking for."

He sat up and reached for a tattered journal that laid on the nightstand. Flipping through the worn pages with haste, he stopped at a sketch of a sword with smaller lines sicking out from it, indicating that it was glowing.

"I don't know why they call me a knight," he chuckled dryly. "A knight is meant to chivalrous and daring. Am I any of that? No chance in hell."

He closed the journal and put it back on the nightstand. Laying back on the bed, he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep, drifting into his dreams.

Or to be more accurate, his nightmares.

* * *

 _They're coming in from the right flank! Return fire!_

 _Damn it, where the hell is that back up?_

 _Medic! We need a medic!_

 _Everyone, take cover! The cannons are charging again!_

 _Lilac, we need your help!_

 _Why won't you use your sword, you bastard?!_

 _Lilac, you got us into this mess and you better make damn you get us out of it!_

 _Lilac, NO!_

* * *

Lilac woke up with a start, breathing heavily. He felt his heart beating in his chest at a rapid rate.

"I was sure I was over it," he muttered. "But they keep coming back, worse than before. Maybe I should see a shrink about it before they get unbearable."

As he calmed himself down, he heard his scroll buzz in his pocket. He took out and looked at the name of the caller. The screen read "Lil' Miss", much to his displeasure.

"What the hell does she want at this hour?" Lilac muttered. With great reluctance, he answered the call and put his scroll on speaker. "What do you want?"

" _My word, is that how you speak to all of your employers?"_ a sultry voice on the other line said. _"I can't imagine you getting any decent payment afterwards."_

"Did you call me just to piss me off or do you have some information?" Lilac groaned. "Keep in mind that I can go to another info broker. Preferably one who looks like she can fit through a door."

The woman on the other line chuckled. _"Oh, Lilac. This is what I love about you. You can make any unoriginal insult sound so endearing."_

Lilac facepalmed. "Cut the sarcasm and tell me what I want to know."

" _No dice, sugar. Clearly, you forget who you're talking to."_

"At times like this, I wish I could forget," Lilac shot back. "Between your voice and appearance, I can't tell which part of you vexes me more."

" _Trust me, sweetheart. The feeling's mutual. Ta-ta for now."_

The woman hung up and Lilac pocketed his scroll.

"Well, I'm rested," he said as he got out of bed. "Time to see what the brats are up to."

* * *

Lilac decended down the stairs and immediately saw Team RNJR sitting in the living room, eating beef stir fry. The wonderous aroma of the food was enough to make his mouth water, but he restrained himself from doing so.

"I hope there's some left for me," he called out, getting everyone's attention.

"I left a plate on the stove in case you came down," Ren replied. "You'll have to re-heat it, though."

"No problem," Lilac said as he walked into the kitchen. "I'm used to re-heating stuff."

Nora let out a snort. "A badass kitchen and he couldn't cook to save his life. Makes you wonder what girls see in him."

"I heard that!" Lilac said from within the kitchen.

"Don't tease him, Nora," Ruby chided. "Maybe there's something about Lilac that makes him popular with the girls."

"Like what?" Nora scoffed. "The fact that he can fight off a horde of Grimm by himself? Anyone can do that if they put their mind to it."

"I'm pretty sure it takes more than mind to drive off a horde that big," Jaune said as he ate his food. "His skills were crazy. It was leagues ahead of what we learned in Beacon."

"Yeah, I wonder if he was in Haven for a while," Nora added. "But then again, it wouldn't look good for the academy one of their former students became a hardened criminal."

"He didn't seem that hard to me," Ruby said, causing everyone to look at her. "What?"

"Oh my," Nora joked with a wide grin. "It looks like our little Rose is into older men. I had no idea."

Upon hearing that, Ruby face became red as her cape as steam blew from her ears. "I-I-I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that he didn't seem hard as a criminal!"

"What?" Jaune said flatly.

Ruby let out a squeak of distress. "I mean, I know he's a criminal, but he didn't seem that hard- no! I mean he looks kind of soft from a closer look-"

"You're only digging yourself deeper," Ren said as he ate.

Blushing beyond normal capacity, Ruby grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it while groaning loudly.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm not a hardened criminal," Lilac said as he walked out of the kitchen. "The girls find me soft and tender."

"Is it you in general or just one part in particular?" Nora asked with a sly grin.

"Seriously, where do you get this stuff?" Jaune said in disbelief.

Nora turned to the blonde and winked. "It's a secret."

* * *

Qrow sat on the rooftop, looking down at the city as the moon shined down. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but it looked beautiful at night.

"Even in the dark, this place shines bright like a diamond," he mused. Taking out his flask, he prepared to drink, but stopped as he felt a familiar presence behind him. "You've got some nerve showing up around here."

Standing up, he turned around to see someone he didn't expect or wanted to see in a long time. A woman with black hair and red eyes smirked at him

"Come on, Qrow. Is that any way to greet your sister?"

"Given how you went off the radar long ago, you should be lucky I'm greeting you at all," he replied bitterly. "In fact, you're lucky I still consider you my sister."

Raven sighed. "Charming as always. But I didn't come here to catch up own old times."

"Why would you start now?" Qrow asked rhetorically. "Let me guess, you're looking for the Spring Maiden as well."

"I'm still looking for her," she replied. "My men combed the area for weeks and have found nothing so far."

"Oh, I wonder why they haven't found anything," Qrow said with contempt. "Maybe they found a defenseless village and got sidetracked."

Raven narrowed her eyes towards her brother. "I don't like what you're implying."

Qrow scoffed. "Just stating the facts. There's no chance of finding the maiden by burning every village in sight and leaving the Grimm to take the scraps."

"I doubt you have any right to lecture me on lack of progress," Raven shot back. "Are you so desperate to find her that you willingly ally with a criminal syndicate to give you info?"

"The Pillars have been running Mistral's underworld for decades," Qrow defended. "Their people always have their ears in the ground, so word about the maiden must of reached them one way or another."

"And how do you know it's not just a baseless rumor?" Raven questioned. "They could be luring you in with the information just to push their wetwork onto you."

"That may be the case, but we don't have any other options," Qrow admitted. "We're not going to find her stumbling around in the dark. If there was a time to take a leap of faith, now is that time."

"Whatever," Raven said, drawing her sword and swinging it downward, creating a portal. "Just make sure you hit water and not the ground after you leap."

"I'll keep that in mind," Qrow replied while waving his flask. Raven shook her head and walked through the portal, which closes after she did. Sighing, Qrow took a long drink from his flask.

"This had better be worth it."

* * *

 **KS: Well, Raven has reared her head and is on the hunt for the Spring Maiden as well. Let's hope our heroes and their rougish companion can get the info to find her before she does, 'cause we all know what happened. (sighs) Anyway, have a good one. I'm out. Peace.**


	17. Chapter 17

**KS: Hello, one and all. My name is KnightSpark and I humbly welcome you to 2019! (horns sound off) And I am happy that we have reached the new year. So many opportunties to better ourselves and our craft. Speaking of, here's an updated fic to kick things off. Happy reading!**

* * *

After a good night's rest, the group was ready and raring to go to the ruin. All of them were checking their weapons to make sure they were in working order, just in case anything unexpected happened during the job. Lilac sat on the reclining chair, smiling at how focused they were.

"Okay, let's do a recap of what we need to do," Lilac called out in a cheery tone. "We head out of town and head straight to the ruin. There, we will take a look around and search for the disc Astaroth wants us to get. After that, we get out of the ruin and return to civilization with the treasure in our hands. Any questions?"

RNJR stared at him, wondering what questions they should ask him, whether it involved the ruin itself or the item that they need to retrieve.

"I want to know about the Grimm that are lurking around it."

But it was Qrow that asked the most important question, all while walking towards Lilac until he was a few inches away from him. The latter shrugged with indifference.

"Does it really matter why the Grimm are hanging around it?" he said casually. "They're not going inside of it, are they?"

"All the more reason to learn more about it," Qrow insisted. "The lady told us that the Grimm were acting inconventional around it. Personally, I don't exactly know what she meant by that, but I doubt it's good."

Lilac sighed. "Look, the off chance that the Grimm somehow get into the ruin, we'll deal with them accordingly. How's that?"

Qrow narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Just know that you'll be answering to me if they get hurt."

"Come onnn," Ruby groaned. "We're not kids anymore, Uncle Qrow."

"I'm just laying down the law for this punk," he said, pointing towards Lilac.

"Am I really that untrustworthy to you?" Lilac asked in mock hurt. "I have nothing to gain from leaving you all for dead." He turned away with a smirk. "Not unless you give me any reason too…"

Qrow immeidately chopped him on the head. "Don't joke like that."

Lilac chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the spot he was chopped. "Just trying to lighten the mood."

Ruby finished cleaning her weapon and mounted on her belt. "You know something's been bothering me since we visited that Chocolate lady yesterday."

"Her name is Schokolade," Lilac corrected. "Aside from that, what has been bothering you, little Rose?"

"What is the Aurum Empire? I only heard the name once, but it's been stuck on my mind for a while."

Lilac grinned. "Glad you asked. But I'm the type of fellow who likes to walk and talk." He quickly rose from the chair and walked towards the door. "I'll tell you all about it on the way there."

Before anyone could respond, he was out the door.

"He sure is enthusiastic," Nora said.

"He makes you look like a flickering lightbulb," Ruby snarked.

The hammer-wielder shot her a look of indignation. "Shut up."

* * *

Once everyone was outside and was walking towards the city exit, Lilac proceeded to tell the group about the Aurum Empire.

"Long ago, there was a civilization that existed before anyone of us were born," he started.

"I'm pretty sure that's the basic definition of long ago," Jaune deadpanned.

Lilac turned around and gave a the blond knight annoyed glare. "Enough out of the peanut gallery, alright? Anyway, this civilization had technology that was millennia ahead of its time. I dare say that it makes anything Atlas spits look like junk."

"Everything Atlas spits out is junk," Qrow remarked. "They just dress it up and make it look passible."

Lilac sighed in annoyance. "Okay, new rule: anyone who interrupts me when I'm talking is getting shot in the head."

Nora scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like you'd actually shoot one of-"

The sound of a gun clicking slienced her and stopped her movements, as Lilac gave her a threatening look while holding his pistol.

"Are you sure you want to test me right now?"

Nora visibly paled, and Ren stepped up in front of him, gripping his own weapons in case he tried anything. The tension was surely growing amongst the group, which Ruby was quick to break.

"Can we just get going?" she said. "The sooner we get the object, the faster we can find out where the Spring Maiden. On that note, we shouldn't interrupt Lilac when he's talking about something very important. Okay?"

Everyone gave a slight nod, but Qrow just waved dismissively, as if he were saying, "I'll be good."

"Alright, then." Ruby turned to Lilac. "You can continue now. I'm sure they'll keep quiet."

Lilac leaned down and patted Ruby. "I thank you kindly, o wise one. Your benevolence will not be forgotten as long as I live."

Ruby chuckled awkwardly. "Anyway, you were saying…?"

"Ah, yes, I remember now." Lilac continued walking down the street and the others followed him. "This civilization possessed technology that was leagues ahead of anything Atlas puts out. They used it to send messages to each other, filter out harmful substances in the air and water, using the elements around them to power their machines, you name it. The people expanded their territory, discovering inhabitable places and using their gifts to create paradise. Soon, the civilization gave way to an empire of innovation and creation, drawing in patrons from far and wide. And that, my friends, is the birth of the Aurum Empire."

Everyone was surprised to hear such a laidback description to an ancient empire. It was almost as if he read it off a damp slip of paper.

"That's it?" Ren asked. "That's what the empire is all about?"

"Not really," Lilac admitted sheepishly. "What I told you is all that I learned through word of mouth. There aren't a lot of people who even know the empire existed."

"I'm guessing the people that do know about it are probably counting worms if you know what I mean," Qrow joked, earning a jab to his side from her niece.

"Please don't do that," she chided.

Qrow shrugged. "I'm just saying that since this empire existed for who knows how long, anyone who has any knowledge of it must be dead."

"Well, word it differently next time," Nora said miserably. "The way you said it, it almost sounds like you wanted them to be dead."

The veteran huntsman slouched in exasperation. "Do you even know what you're talking about?"

Nora put hand on her hip. "Do _you_?"

"Come on, let's just keep going," Jaune sighed as he walked ahead of the group. "We're burning daylight here."

Lilac grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him back. "Hold your horses, partner. I'm the one leading the expedition here."

Jaune scoffed. "Somehow, I doubt you're the type to lead out of a cardboard box."

Lilac narrowed his eyes at the remark. "Watch the attitude, pal. Keep in mind that I can end your budding career as a huntsman before it can start."

Jaune was about to retort, but Ruby got in between them.

"Let's. Go," she ordered with a stern glare delivered towards the two young men.

"Fine," they both said.

* * *

And so, the group left town and headed into the forest, determined to search for the ruin. However, as they went deeper through the foilage, a small horde of Grimm came out of nowhere and ambushed them.

Everyone fought as hard as they could to thin out the horde. Ruby slashed multiple Beowolves while her uncle cut down a herd of Ursa. Jaune cut his way through Creeps while Nora and Ren teamed up to take down a Nevermore that feathers at the group. And where was Lilac during the whole fisaco?

He was fending off a Death Stalker by himself.

"No need to rush people," he yelled sarcastically as he dodged the stinger of the giant insect. "I've got it all under control here! Under no circumstances do I need help!"

Qrow finished eliminating the rest of the Ursa, then turned to Ruby. "Was he always this mouthy when he fought the last horde by himself."

"Not really," she admitted. "I think he was just showing off. I mean, he was good, but it looked like was over compensating."

"A showboater, then," Qrow sighed. "Either way, the kid can handle himself against large numbers. There aren't many who are capable of that feat."

The rest of RNJR gathered around after dealing with the Grimm.

"No more Creeps to bother us," Jaune reported.

"And that Nevermore won't be flying anytime soon!" Nora cheered.

"Uh-huh," Qrow said, turning to Lilac and the Death Stalker. "That just leaves…"

The young criminal shot at the Death Stalker, but the gunfire appeared to annoy the creature as it aimed its stinger towards him. However, Lilac was clever as he was agile and dodged the stinger before it could hit him.

"I'm too fast for you, bug," Lilac taunted as he fired more rounds at the Grimm. "Now prepare to-"

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

Lilac swiftly moved his head to the right just in time to see Nora fire a grenade at the Death Stalker. He instinctively leaped out of the way as the projectile exploded upon impact. Once the monster was dazed, Ruby slashed its tail off, leaving Qrow to pierce the shell of the Grimm with his sword, killing it.

"Great work," Lilac deadpanned. "It's a good thing I kept it distracted for you."

"What kind of distraction involves you shooting at a giant bug?" Nora snarked.

Lilac shot the hammer-wielder a dirty look. "The kind of distraction that I thought up on the fly. Now let's keep on going. The ruin should be close now."

"We should still be vigilant," Qrow suggested. "This is the third pack of Grimm we ran into on the way. Personally, I don't consider that a coincidence. The ruin must be connected somehow."

"How do we know for certain that the ruin is the cause of the behavior of the Grimm?" Ren asked. "The woman might have told us that they acted unconventional around the area, but there's no evidence to that claim."

Qrow sighed, knowing that he had a point. "Even so, we need to keep going and find this disc in exchange for the Spring Maiden's last wherabouts."

"And what if we the disc is not in the ruin?" Jaune asked.

Qrow turned to Lilac. "Then we resort to other methods."

Lilac let out a humorless laugh. "Come on. Surely, you don't think you can make a bargaining chip out of me."

Qrow pointed his sword towards him. "Who said anything about a bargaining chip? We can just beat up you here and now. I'm sure your employer will want to give us what we want knowing we beat one of her grunts."

Much to their confusion, Lilac burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Man, this is probably the worst joke I've heard in my life. You should know that I'm the top hired guns in the organization. I've fought against twenty guys before, and I'm more than capable to taking down a few minors and an alcoholic."

"I'll have you know that these minors fought in the fall of Beacon," Qrow shot back. "And this alcoholic has fought in it as well."

Lilac scoffed. "Doesn't matter to me if you went up against the White Fang. I'm not the type of person you should underestimate." He turned around and walked off. "Also, there's no sense in showing off that you survived a dramatic, world-shaking event. In this life, there are people who have their own problems to deal with and don't have the time to give a damn about others." He stopped and turned around with an indifferent expression. "And I happen to be one of those people."

The group stared at Lilac in absolute shock. He spoke as if the fall of Beacon and anyone who fought in it had nothing to do with him. While that may be true, there was no reason to say what he did. People were injured during that time and others lost their lives. Their reactions were varied, but they all had the same thought.

Ruby had a look of disbelief at how callous he acted. Nora's face was mired in sadness. Ren couldn't stop furrowing his brow. Qrow had his gaze narrowed. And one in particular was shaking with rage and bottled-up anger.

"Take it back…"

Lilac raised an eyebrow. "Take it back? What do you want me to take back?"

The question was directed to Jaune, whose head was lowered and his fists clenched.

"Take back everything you said," he said lowly. "Every single word."

"And why should I?" Lilac asked sarcastically. "I'm free to voice my opinions."

"I couldn't give a damn about your opinions," Jaune growled. "There were people who were hurt during Beacon's fall. And one of them… one of them died. She was my teammate and my friend." He raised his head, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Are you going to say she died for nothing?"

Lilac looked to the side and lightly bit his thumb, thinking about what Jaune just said to him. After half of a minute, he gave his response.

"I take it you're referring to Pyrrha?"

Jaune slowly nodded. What Lilac said next would break him.

"She went up against someone who was stronger her, someone whom she knew she could never defeat. And for what? To fufill some empty purpose? Performing the fool's errand of playing the hero?" Lilac shook his head in disapproval. "She was a fool. No, that would be dregading to foolishness in general. Pyrrha Nikos died for less than nothing."

The words rang through Jaune's ears. He grit his teeth and gripped his sword. And with a mighty cry, he charged towards Lilac with full intent to strike him.

"Seriously?" Lilac said with exasperation. "Way too obvious."

He used his Semblance to evade Jaune's attack, quickly appearing behind him. This did not deter Jaune, who wildly swung his sword at him. Lilac dodged it, leading to more swings from Jaune, anger guiding his movements.

"We need to stop him!" Ruby declared. Nora and Ren shared her sentiments and prepared to intervene, but Qrow raised an arm in front of them.

"Don't even try it," he said.

Ruby looked at her uncle in disbelief. "But-"

"Trust me, the kid needs this," he added. "He's bottled his emotions long enough. This is probably the only way he can let it out.

Ruby stared at Qrow for a while, then turned her attention to Jaune swinging at Lilac, who continued to dodge him. She hoped her uncle was right in not allowing her to interfere.

Lilac, who had spend a good portion dodging strikes from Jaune, gradually showing some interest.

"You know, not a lot of people have the stones to try to fight me head on," he commented. "In my line of work, I received a lot of cheap shots and have some back. But a straight attack like this… it really gets the blood pumping."

He let out a big grin, much to the shock to the spectators.

"Is he enjoying this?" Nora asked in a surprised tone.

"I had no idea he had that side to him," Ren mused. "When he first met, he had the impression of a laid-back person who only gets serious when he needed to."

"Well, let this teach you kids not to judge a book from the cover," Qrow said. "After all, the pages could tell you a whole 'nother story."

Lilac took out his pistols, but he did not aim them at Jaune.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" the knight snarled. "Fight me, you bastard!"

Lilac laughed loudly. "Oh, you're a lively one. Don't worry, I'll fight you, but I'll level the playing field for you."

He brought his two pistols together, causing them to make a clicking sound. He held the linked weapons with his right hand, and pulled the triggers. Instead of firing bullets, a round handle popped out of the bottom of the combined weapon, which he gripped. But that wasn't the strangest part. The guns began to glow brightly, then began to change shape into a sword.

"No… no, that's not possible," Nora said in shock. "He put his guns together and they turned into a sword?! I had never heard or seen anything like that!"

"You and me both," Ren replied, absolutely gobsmacked at the weapon.

It was an interesting development for sure, but for the first time in her, Ruby showed no interest towards the weapon. Her attention was solely focused on its wielder, whose grin was visible for all to see.

"Now, pardon me while I dust of an old catchphrase," Lilac said, pointing his sword to Jaune. "Come at me, bro!"

( **Anarchy Reigns OST: Laughin' At U** )

Growling, Jaune took out his shield and combined it with the sword, forming a larger blade. "I'm going make you eat every bad thing you said about Pyrrha! I swear it!"

"Is that so?" Lilac asked dryly. "Make me, then!"

Letting out a battle cry, Jaune charged towards Lilac and swung the large blade at him. This time, Lilac did not dodge and blocked the strike with his own blade.

"This can't be all you have to offer!" Lilac shouted without losing his grin. "You looked a lot more capable of fighting during the Vytal Festival! Or is that just the media covering how much you suck!"

"Shut the hell up!" Jaune roared, pushing Lilac back. They fiercely clashed their swords again and again, the sounds of metal crashing reverberating throughout the forest. Lilac swung at Jaune's head, but the blonde ducked and thrusted his sword towards the violet-haired man's chest.

"Nope, you're not getting off that easy," Lilac said, dodging the thrust. He elbowed Jaune in the head, which knocked the knight backwards a little, but he regained his footing and attacked the criminal once more.

"You think you can just say whatever the hell you want!" Jaune shouted. "Shooting off your mouth anytime you feel like, not caring how anyone would react…" He swung at Lilac, only to have his strike blocked. "This world would be better off without scum like you!"

Once again, Lilac burst in a fit of laughter. "Oh man, that's probably the most unoriginal insult in the English language! I mean, 'scum'? Is that seriously the best you can come up with? Give me a damn break!"

As the two continued to fight, Ren looked around. "That's odd. No Grimm appear to be converging on our position."

"Maybe they're taking the day off," Nora said.

Ruby looked at her blankly. "Grimm never take days off."

Nora shrugged. "I'm just saying. For all we know, they decided to clock out."

Qrow ignored the conversation as he watched the fight. He immediately knew what Lilac was doing, but he wondered if the young man was taking it a bit far.

"If he accidently kills him, it's on my head," he muttered.

Jaune continued to strike, but Lilac parried his attacks and retaliated in turn.

"This is getting really boring!" he announced. "I think I'll just take a dive."

"The only dive you've be taking is towards a pit of Grimm when I'm done with you!" Jaune shouted. He swung wildly at Lilac, but the latter dodged them all.

"Come on, give me something with some spice in it," Lilac taunted. "Everything you do is way too obvious! Do something that's completely out of left field!"

Jaune shook with anger, slowly realizing that Lilac was not taking him seriously. Every strike he blocked, every parry he made, it was done in jest. This time, he would land a blow on him, even if he had to pull a fast one.

"You want something out of left field?" He raised his sword into the air. Lilac prepared to block another strike, but did not expect what Jaune was about to do.

"Here's something way out of left field!"

With all of his might, Jaune threw his sword directly at Lilac. Shocked at the unexpected and abrupt action, Lilac knocked it out of way, but had no time to react as Jaune rushed towards him and tackled him to the ground, knocking his own sword out of his hand in the process.

( **End song** )

"Alright, you got me," Lilac said. "So what are you gonna-"

He was interrupted by Jaune punching him in the face. And not just one punch. The knight delivered blow after blow to Lilac's face, glaring at him with great intensity.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

Worried that her friend will go too far, Ruby turned to Qrow, wordlessly pleading for approval. To her relief, her uncle nodded. She went to Jaune with Nora and Ren following her. They all pried him off of Lilac before he could damage his face any more than he has.

"Let me go!" he shouted. "He still needs to pay for what he said to Pyrrha!"

"Jaune, you beat him," Nora pleaded. "Isn't that enough for you?"

"You heard what he said about Pyrrha!" he shouted. "And about what happened at Beacon! He's lucky I'm just bashing his face in."

"Even so, the way you are handling it is unbefitting of a leader," Ren chided. "You need display tact when it comes to these situtations."

"Shut up! I don't you lecturing me right now!"

As they tried and failed to calm Jaune down, Qrow walked over to Lilac, who was still laid on the ground.

"I'll admit, I had no idea he was going to throw his sword at me as a distraction," the hired gun chuckled. "And then he used the opportunity to rush me and slug me in the face. It really caught me off guard there."

Qrow kneeled down to look Lilac in the eyes. "It's between us now, kid. Everything you did was to rile him up, wasn't it?"

"What I said about Beacon and that Pyrrha girl was the absolute truth," Lilac said. "But it was part of my plan. That Arc kid has too much bottled up inside of him. He needed to release that anger one way or another."

"And you up and decided to volunteer yourself to do that," Qrow sighed. "I don't know if I should call you a genius or an idiot."

Lilac chuckled. "For what it's worth, you can call me an idiotic genius. A lot of my friends call me that."

"What friends?" Qrow asked.

"The ones who don't try to kill me." Lilac sat up and watched as Ruby, Nora and Ren continued to restrain Jaune, who was still ranting and raving.

"They're an interesting bunch, aren't they?"

Qrow let out a smirk and stood up. "Intersting is putting it mildly." He began to walk towards them, but stopped. "Hey, Lilac."

"What's up?"

Qrow turned around and narrowed his gaze. "I'll turn a blind eye to your stunt this time, but don't expect anyone to pull a yellow card the next time you try it."

Lilac scoffed. "Whatever, man."

Qrow shook his head and continued walking towards the group, leaving Lilac alone to look at the sky.

"Idiotic genius… I'd say it's about 60% of the former."

* * *

 **KS: I guess Lilac has taken the role of the benevolent troll. Let's just hope that what he did with Jaune will yield some positive results. After all, holding in so much anger is really not that healthy for a person. Anyway, that's all from me tonight. I hope you have a wonderful New Year, where ever you are. Peace.**


	18. Chapter 18

**KS: You know what time it is? Time for more late night chapter updates.**

* * *

Things managed to calm down after Jaune and Lilac's fight. After he was restrained for a half hour, the blonde knight was able to settle down. Even though he was no longer raging, he still held contempt towards Lilac. All those things he said about what happened during Beacon's fall, Pyrrha's fate being the main factor, continued to burn in his mind. He might have been calm now, but he would soon make Lilac eat every disrespectful word he said. It was just a matter of time.

"We should be close to the ruin now," Lilac said. "I tell you, we're going to be in for a treat. I can almost imagine the amount of treasure lying in there."

"Oooh, are gonna find rare armor?" Nora beamed with excitement. "Maybe find some rings that will increase our power! No wait, a legendary sword~!"

Ren sweatdropped awkwardly at his childhood friend's enthusiasm. "Let's not get our hopes up, Nora. There isn't a concrete possibility the ruin will contain that kind of treasure."

"Aw, try to live a little," Nora replied while jabbing him with her elbow. "We won't know until we get there."

"All I am saying is that we shouldn't get our hopes up-"

"Sounds like you don't think there'll be treasure in there."

"That's not what I meant."

Ruby, Qrow and Lilac watch as Nora and Ren bicker amongst themselves.

"Those two sure get along," Lilac said in a dry tone.

Ruby let out a nervous giggle. "They're usually like that. You get used to it."

"Hopefully, it won't attract any Grimm," Qrow mused. "The last thing we need is another reason to attract them.

Jaune let out an annoyed huff and walked ahead of the group, which caught the attention of Nora and Ren.

"Jaune, wait up!" the hammer-wielder shouted as she chased after her leader, Ren quickly following suit.

"Still think what happened was a good idea?" Qrow asked Lilac.

"I don't remember saying it was a good idea," the young man replied with a shrug. "I did to make him let out whatever was boiling inside of him."

"And yet, he still looks as if he's harboring some hate," Qrow mused.

Ruby walked ahead of the two. "Let's go and get to the ruin, already. We're burning daylight here."

She ran after the three that went ahead, leaving Qrow and Lilac alone.

"I'm just going to say it," the lavender-haired man said. "I would rather be alone with a beautiful woman in this scenario."

Qrow took out his flask and drank from it. "You and me both, pal."

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to finally reach the ruin, and when they did, it was a sight to behold. A large Eastern-styled temple with statues of armored warriors slaying various monsters decorated the path leading to the entrance, which had a stained glass picture of a beautiful woman in a kimono holding a bouquet of flowers above it.

"This temple must have been cared for before it was abandoned," Ren complimented. "The attention to detail is nothing short of impeccable."

Nora's eyes sparkled at the sight. "I can almost hear the treasure… I wanna get in there."

Ren walked towards the steel door and pushed it, but it wouldn't budge. "It won't open. Maybe this isn't the way in."

Jaune stepped forward and gave it a more forceful push, but nothing happened. "Do we have to force our way in here?"

"I doubt it," Qrow mused, lightly feeling the door. "Judging from how this thing is built, no amount of firepower could blow it off the hinges."

Nora looked at Maghild and sighed. "What are we supposed to do if we can blast it."

Ruby gave the door a closer look. She focused her gaze at a particular part of the door, one that stood out from the structure.

Qrow noticed her pensive look. "What caught your eye, kid?"

"I think I see a way to open the door," she said.

Everyone perked up when she said that.

"Please tell me you're not pulling everyone's leg right now," Nora said in a pleading tone. "Share what you know with us, girl!"

Ruby chuckled awkwardly at her enthusiasm and regained her composure. "Okay, let's start off with the door itself. Does anyone notice something about it?"

"Apart from the fact that it looks like it could withstand an explosion?" Lilac asked sarcastically.

Ruby shot him a flat look. "Yes, that."

Lilac shrugged and looked at the door. "Well, now that I see it, it looks like there's a picture of a fox on the door."

"I can see it as well," Ren added. "This door has the image of a fox sculped on it. Though I've never seen a fox with nine tails on it."

"Forget the tails for a second," Ruby said. "Look towards the bottom of the door, where its head would be."

The group looked down to see the fox's head, only to find something bizarre.

"I'm no animal expert, but I know for a fact that a fox's head isn't supposed to look like that," Qrow said.

The fox's head appeared to be scrambled and disconnected.

"That's not all," Jaune cut in, pointing to where the head should be. "There are some weird circles down here. What are they used for?"

There were five circular grooves around the head, which seperated its portions. In the center was a yellow gem that shined brightly.

"What are we supposed to do with that?" Nora asked.

Ruby touched the space between the grooves and felt the circle slightly. "Oh, I see it now."

"What do you see?" Lilac asked.

"These circles were twisted around so the head looks like it's been seperated into different parts," Ruby explained. "But if I adjust them to where they were before, it should look like a head again."

And so, Ruby moved each circle to it's original location, perfectly forming the head of the fox.

"Okay, the fox looks complete," Jaune said. "Now what?"

"Maybe we're supposed to stare at the door some more," Nora joked. "I mean, it's not like it'll eventually open up, right?"

Much to her and everyone's surprise, rumbling was heard from the door, which soon began to decend into the ground, allowing them entry into the temple.

"Well, it's open to us," Qrow said. "Let's not stand around with our jaws hanging low."

( **Uncharted 2: Among Thieves OST: The Monastery** )

Everyone agreed wordlessly and walked through the door. Once they did, their breaths were stolen from them as they saw the interior. The floorboards still looked new despite being around for over a decade, and the hall was adorned with large statues of a fox surrounded by rings of fire. There were also pictures of men and women in strange armor that covered them from head to toe, wielding swords and firearms of unique design. Most of the pictures showed them wielding both at the same time.

"There are no words that could begin to describe how beautiful this ruin is," Ren said.

"It's been around longer than any of us were born," Nora added. "I feel like I'm a princess from a long gone era."

Ruby stared a picture on the wall featuring a fighter wielding a weapon that looks like a pistol combined with a dagger. "I had no idea the Aurum had cool stuff."

"Yeah, it's cool alright," Lilac said. "No one has been able to get their hands on weapons these complex before. Some say most of the weapons used today were inspired by what the Aurum had way back when."

"Hold on a minute," Qrow interjected. "How could people be inspired by the Aurum to build mixed weapons of their own when they've never seen what the original models look like?"

Lilac shrugged dismissively. "Maybe they looked at a design in an old book or something. I'm not sure of the details myself, but I've heard the occasional rumor."

"You sure sound confident for believing in a rumor," Ruby deadpanned.

"I know my sources," Lilac defended. "They've never steered me wrong before."

"Whatever," Nora said. "Let's explore this place some more!"

( **End song** )

They continued to walk around in the temple, discovering an additional floor that had even more pictures of armored warriors, as well as displays of the weapons they used. Ruby couldn't help but drool at the sight of such advanced craftmanship, which did not go unnoticed by the others.

"She's like a kid in a candy shop," Nora commented.

"For our sake, I hope she doesn't get her saliva on the artifacts presented," Ren sighed. "They all appear priceless."

Qrow sighed at his niece's overenthusiasm. "Ruby, you mind not fogging up the exhibit? We might get a fine or something."

Ruby scoffed. "Who's gonna fine us? Nobody has been around here for years."

Nora grew a mischievous grin. "Sure, nobody's been here… nobody _alive,_ that is."

Ruby instantly paled. "W-What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I think we all know what I'm talking about," Nora said, her grin widening.

"She thinks there's ghosts here," Lilac interjected with a flat tone.

Nora playful expression was replaced with an annoyed glare that she directed towards the criminal. "Couldn't let me have a bit of fun, could you?"

"There's a time and place for screwing around with people," Lilac replied. "This is not one of them. Not unless you want to get shot in the back just because you wanted to look funny taking advantage of another person's hyperactive imagination."

Everyone stared flatly at Lilac before he spoke again.

"And in case any of you are wondering, that did happen to me a few times in the past. I still feel the bullet wounds in my butt."

"Hold on," Qrow said. "I thought you were shot in the back for joking around."

Lilac awkwardly chuckled. "The guy who shot me originally planned to shoot me in the back, but decided to shoot my ass just for the hell of it."

"Probably gave him a good reason, knowing how much you shoot your mouth off."

Everyone turned to Jaune, who was staring at a longsword with a bitter expression.

"Although, knowing you, I'm surprised he aimed for your butt and not your head." He turned to him with a fierce glare. "That is how people in your group operate, isn't it?"

"Jaune…" Ruby said in a pleading tone.

Lilac sighed, having a good idea of why the knight was mad at him. "I take it you're still pissed off about what I said earlier?"

"If I was, I'd beat you down again," Jaune growled.

"You got lucky, kid," Lilac scoffed. "No sense in getting an inflated ego over using an underhanded move."

Jaune grinned smugly. "I thought you speciallized in underhanded moves, given your line of work."

"Jaune," Ruby interrupted. "Don't provoke him."

"No, no, let him continue," Lilac said, walking up to Jaune. "I was hoping my therapy session from earlier would get him to unearth some anger, but it seems that I've missed a few spots."

Jaune grit his teeth. "Oh, you'll be seeing a lot of spots once I knock you out."

Lilac laughed out loud. "You… you really think you can knock me out? You actually believe that?"

Nora threw her arms up in frustration. "This guy really sucks when it comes to reading the mood."

"An understatement if I've ever heard one," Ren sighed in response.

Lilac ignored their comments to focus on Jaune. "What do you say, champ. Hit me with your best shot."

"With pleasure," Jaune said, clenching his fist and drawing his arm back. When he did, his elbow knocked the longsword off the pedastal, causing it to fall to the floor. He quickly turned around to see the ancient weapon laying on the ground.

"This is getting off to a great start," Qrow deadpanned.

Jaune was about to reply, but suddenly, the floor beneath him suddenly gave way, causing him to fall into a hole.

"Jaune!"

This shocked the group as they rushed to the hole, but the they didn't make it in time as the floor suddenly closed up, sealing Jaune into whatever pit he had fallen into.

"What just happened?" Nora said in a panicked tone. "Where did Jaune go?"

"I-I have no idea," Ren replied in a similar tone. "Who know a temple could have such a dastardly mechanism?"

Ruby just stared at the floor, her mind filling with dread. Jaune had fallen through an opening, but nobody present knew where it led. That is, if it lead anywhere.

"We need to find him," she said, getting everyone's attention.

"How are going to do that?" Qrow asked. "This joint isn't what I would call small."

"We'll split up," Ruby suggested. "We cover each and every inch of this temple until we find something that looks the lease bit suspicious.

"Sounds good," Lilac said, walking down the hallway. "I'll check out this spot over here and holler when I eye something weird."

The other stare as he walked off.

"I hope he's aware he's partially responsible for this," Ren said with laced venom.

"It doesn't matter now," Ruby said. "We need to look around the temple. The sooner we do that, the sooner we find Jaune."

They nodded in agreement and proceed to split up. They were determined to find the knight before anything worse happened to him.

But little do they know… their search would lead to something even more sinister.

* * *

 **KS: Looks like things took a turn for the unexpected. They better find Jaune before things get even more hairier then they are now.**


End file.
